


Light of Valhalla, Fire of Hel

by musikat18



Series: The Daybreaker Trilogy [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Minor Character Death, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 13:42:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16833760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musikat18/pseuds/musikat18
Summary: You’re the best friend of Thor and Sif, a high-born Asgardian lady with a penchant for running off into battle, enchanted halberd blazing. The battle of Vanaheim brings your secret close to being discovered, but when the goddess of death arrives in Asgard, you must examine how far you are willing to go to preserve both of your lives when her new assistant happens to be the one man outside the Royal Family who knows the truth about how you spend your time.





	1. Prologue: Day Breaks In Vanaheim

**Author's Note:**

> This is the prologue of a series I originally posted on Tumblr! Hopefully you all enjoy~

“I’ve got this completely under control!”

“Is that why everything’s on fire?”

“There’s a lot of reasons for that, Thor!” The prince of Asgard did not quite understand what his warrior friend was referring to until he saw you storming the battlefield. He smiled and shook his head, not sure what else he expected as he watched you decapitate and dismantle monster after monster.

Your father was the head of Odin’s Council of Defense. Lovely and elegant, you had more than your fair share of suitors chasing after you– Thor once remembered a time, long ago when he was a younger man, when his mother spoke of a possible betrothal to the distinguished daughter of Asgard’s finest strategist, kindly assuring him it would certainly work out.

Oh, how he had been sorely mistaken.

\--

_“I REFUSE, FATHER!!!” He remembered hearing the shouting match from the other side of the door, and stepped closer upon hearing the clanging of some metal object on the wall._

_“Prince Thor is the heir to the throne of Asgard!” he heard your father pleading. “There is scarcely a more worthy husband. If you marry the prince, you’ll-”_

_“I’ll be forced to live and die as a lady of the court, making no greater impact than the courtly gossip over my feast dresses, while you get to call yourself the Queenfather of Asgard!” you snapped. “Your intentions may be pure, but I will not marry anyone without having a say in it, and my say of Prince Thor is no! I cannot sit idly by as a courtly trophy, Father. I refuse to. I want to forge my own path.”_

_“Y/N-” Your father’s voice quieted as he saw the door open to reveal the young prince._

_**Blond and blank as ever,** you thought to yourself with some bitterness. _

_“Prince Thor…” your father bowed his head. “My daughter, Y/N, Lady of Light.”_

_Thor noticed how you made no motion to acknowledge him. Prideful, defiant you, wrapped in gold and white, stood firmly in place._

_“If she protests, I won’t ask for her hand,” Thor insisted. “Her calling lies…elsewhere, it seems.”_

_Your Y/E/C eyes widened only slightly at this. Thor seemed to notice this, offering you only a friendly smile and a nod of camaraderie; a bow of the head reserved only for the warriors of Asgard._

_You smirked in your pride. Perhaps the prince wasn’t as blond and blank as you thought._

\--

“ARE YOU DAFT, THOR?!” you yelled across the battlefield at the reminiscing prince, swinging your halberd around your body as it burned through your attackers and pulling back your hood to properly express your fury. “What happened to the God of Thunder?!”

“You do realize your father would have my head if he found out I let you come here,” he chuckled as you crossed the field to meet your closest companions.

“Nobody lets me do anything,” you quipped. “Why do you think I stowed away?”

“I let you do plenty of things,” Sif offered.

“You know I’ve always beaten you fair and square,” you said, “because I am the only one who is able to think any sort of plan through.” Thor and Sif were holding back laughter. You, in turn, did not hesitate to let loose your impending eye roll.

“We just need to get this mess cleared up in time for me to get home before the council dinner,” you pointed at the prince and the warrior before you ran off to the next cluster of creatures. Pulling your hood back up, you sprinted at a small band of warriors that all dispersed when you launched your weapon through the monster, save for a man with tattoos on his head and an ax in hand.

“Oy!” he yelled as you roughly grabbed his arm and pulled him aside. “I had that under control!” The creature behind him teetered, seeing as it was no longer operating with a heart or head, and moved to come crashing down. With a swift motion, you grabbed the man and rolled to the side with him, your hood falling out of place in the process.

“And what, pray tell, was your grand plan for having that under control?” you asked.

He let out a gasp as he recognized you and dropped to his knees.

“Lady Y/N…I didn’t…wait, what are you even doing here?” he stood again. “Shouldn’t you be back in Asgard having a fancy garden party or something?”

The look you shot him told him you weren’t amused.

“Say nothing,” you glowered, replaced your hood, and returned to battle.

You felt striking hazel eyes on your back, ignoring the stare as you went.

You had more important things to worry about.

\--

Skurge stood among the wreckage, watching you converse with the Prince of Asgard, arms crossed and stance defiant. The day had been won, of course, but something was sticking in the man’s stomach. Even as the people of Vanaheim were reuniting, gathering their belongings that had survived the struggle, it wasn’t all sitting right with him.

“Hey,” he stopped one of his passing comrades. “What’s the deal with the masked soldier? The tiny one?”

“The wielder of Daybreaker?”

Skurge watched as his fellow warrior pointed along your back at the halberd strapped to it, gleaming gold and even giving off a rich shimmer in the sunlight. The ax-wielder nodded in confirmation.

“No one knows. Some say he’s the champion of the head of the Council of Defense. His identity is unknown, so that’s what we call him. Daybreaker.” The warrior chuckled, “A kindly name for so fierce a warrior.”

Skurge remembered the ferocity in your eyes. He was certain he was getting the right information.

“And you’re certain it’s a he.”

“The Valkyrior are long extinct, Skurge,” his companion said, “and Lady Sif is a rare case. Who else could Daybreaker possibly be?”

Out of the corner of Skurge’s eye, he noticed Thor gesturing his way. A dreadful sickness settled in the tall man’s stomach when he saw your frown set harder on your face.

“I pray for your soul, Skurge.”

Not even the words of his comrade could comfort him for what he knew was to come.

Many an Asgardian warrior would be up to the challenge if there was ever a conflict brewing, but Skurge felt his apprehension was justified by the very dangerous position he was in. You were staring him down, fury burning through your eyelashes as you looked up at him. Even though your hood was down, it didn’t stop you from appearing intimidating. You were shorter than him, yes, but with toned arms set on defiant hips and legs planted like the roots of Yggdrasil, it would be hard for even the fiercest warrior to not be a little chastened.

“You understand I can’t allow you to tell anyone that I do this,” you insisted. “I can’t have my father finding out I steal his great ancestral weapon to run amok with the great warriors of Asgard.”

“’S not stealing if it’s your family’s.”

“I’ll have you know–” you paused as you processed his words. “Pardon?”

“I said what I said,” he shrugged. “Don’t believe me?”

“It’s not like this is a standard hobby for high-born ladies.”

“It’s easier to just let you do what you want and not say anything.”

You frowned at his words.

“So, that’s it then,” you said. “You’re not going to tell anyone because you’re more afraid of me for insulting a lady than you are of me for me.”

“D’you want me to be afraid of you? ‘Cause that’s not hard, either, angel.”

“I never said-”

“That’s basically what you said.”

“Well, it’s not what I meant!”

“I told you, I can be scared of you, if you’d like, m’lady,” he offered. “But I’m not gonna run around spilling your secret. Some people are into kinkier stuff than others, and that’s alright by me.”

“I’m not playing around! Do you think I’d be in battle if I just wanted to play at war?”

“You’re pretty. Pretty people get what they want more easily than others.” His tone had gone from understanding to stony, and you set your jaw hard.

“If you think I’m just doing this because I’m a bored heiress, you’re sorely mistaken,” you snarled.

“All the more reason to believe you may as well be, angel,” he shot back.

Your hand clenched Daybreaker for a moment, but you thought better of yourself. It would be much harder to hide your activity if you were caught with the blood of a warrior on your father’s supposedly-retired weapon.

“Tell a soul, and I’ll give you reason to take me seriously.” His eyes burned into your back again, but this time, you weren’t so sure it was something you were happy about.


	2. Chapter One: Return of the Prince

You drummed your nails on the walls as you slowly followed the corridor of your home. There was celebration in Asgard– there had been for quite a while, it seemed– but nothing sat well with you about it, anymore. The first few years since Thor left, you were certain all was well; the Convergence had passed and the Dark Elves were subdued, were they not?

It wasn’t until the Statue of Loki went up that you became suspicious.

Odin loved Loki as a son, even for all his misdeeds– this you knew was true. But that statue was far too handsome to have been approved by the King of Asgard you knew.

As you passed Daybreaker, gleaming on its pedestal, you felt your heart grow heavy. It felt like ages since you had wielded it; with the odd new mood Odin was in, it surely wasn’t safe to practice your skills. It wasn’t like you were the only one suffering silently, either; Heimdall had been called a traitor by Odin and fled the city (you had more than a little to do with that), with Sif following shortly behind, and even your father had been displaced from his seat on the council. Even if the kingdom’s respect for your family had not wavered, the king’s clearly had.

Your eyes swept over the city square, where Odin lounged in lush, orange robes and watched yet another performance of the ‘Tragedy of Loki.’

_Tragedy, my arse,_ you thought spitefully, but you were quickly distracted by a buzzing in the back of your head. You closed your eyes to accept the call, and you opened them again to the forest bordering Asgard, standing across from Heimdall.

“Heimdall,” you sighed. “Is there trouble?”

“There has been nothing but trouble for years, Lady Y/N,” he said dryly. “You may want to be more specific.”

“Have you found anything that might fix this, then?” you frowned bitterly.

“Thor is calling the Bifrost,” he said seriously. “He’s in danger. Someone else is watching…but he’s not answering.”

Your jaw set as Heimdall returned your mind to your body. Staring over the water at the gleaming Bifrost dome, you knew that whoever was waiting there was about to get a very stern reminder of the duties of Bifrost Guardian.

You let your gaze linger on Daybreaker just a moment longer, before you departed without it.

In these strange times, perhaps violence wasn’t your best plan.

\--

Your shoes clanged on the floor of the Bifrost chamber, signaling your presence, and you weren’t very happy with what you saw.

Two ladies were lounging on the steps to the channeling piece that held the sword Hofund still in place. Both of them gasped in surprise and stood upon recognizing you, but their shock was followed by smirks.

“The daughter of disgraced Kustaa,” one of them snickered. You silenced her with one icy glare. Eyes sweeping the observatory, your frown deepened as you caught view of a crude pile of stolen treasures and not-so-treasures next to one very, very distinct ax warrior playing with some oscillating toy.

“So Odin’s replaced the stalwart watcher of the Nine Realms with a thief who ignores his duty anyway,” you crossed your arms at Skurge.

“How about, ‘Hello, Skurge,’“ he said dryly, tossing his plaything aside, “‘Nice to see you, Skurge. It’s been years. How’s the family?’“

“ _My_ family has suffered, and _I_ am going to bring back the one person who can fix it,” you snapped, storming up to Hofund and twisting the Bifrost open. You paid no mind and didn’t change your cross-armed stance as Thor burst through the light, puling you aside and landing on his feet. You were marginally grateful for this, as the next thing behind him through the portal before it closed was the decapitated head of a Fire Dragon that splattered Skurge and his guests with some waxy kind of fluid. You ignored the disgusted shrieks of the girls as they fled the observatory.

“Don’t give me that look,” Thor said at your unchanged expression. “Please? Look, surprise, I came back.”

“It’s about bloody time,” you grumbled. “Your father’s gone absolutely mad, you know. He fired my father and put this one in charge of the Bifrost? Worst decision ever. Also, how _dare_ you go _dragon-slaying without me_.”

“I can hear everything you’re saying! I’m still here!” The current ‘Bifrost guardian’ interjected, wiping the gunk from his face.

“And you’ve been here when Heimdall should have been in charge, pilfering trinkets instead of actually paying attention to when your prince calls for your action!”

“Y/N-”

“Well, pardon me, oh high and mighty Lady Daybreaker!”

“High and mighty? I wouldn’t have to have come down here if you were paying attention instead of flirting!”

“Y/N, I want to know-”

“And don’t you dare use that name against me! You’re lucky I didn’t bring it down here to scalp you with!”

“Joke’s on you! _I have no hair!_ Perhaps that’s why I have people who actually like me!”

“What, bored heiresses?”

“Well, you’re here, aren’t you?”

“ **_Say that again_ **.”

“I said, _you’re here, aren’t you?_ ”

“Y/N!”

As you stood nose-to-chest with the so-called keeper of the Bifrost, you snapped your head back towards Thor.

“What happened to Heimdall?”

“Your father declared him and Sif traitors and enemies of the state. I helped them flee the city.”

“Why would you openly declare that?!” Skurge looked at you with disbelief, “I literally was employed by the king to protect Asgard!”

“You haven’t told anyone about me being Daybreaker, have you?”

He opened his mouth, but closed it upon realizing you were right.

“Where’s my father?” Thor asked.

“This way,” you pulled on his arm toward the observatory exit.

“W-wait!” Skurge called, “I’m supposed to announce your arrival.”

“You were supposed to do a lot of things,” you rolled your eyes.

If you had looked back for a moment, you might have seen him looking slightly defeated; you hadn’t needed to point out the obvious, after all.

\--

“…Your Midgardian friends sound so strange,” you mused as Thor neared the end of his recap of where he’d gone following the Convergence. “Is it true that the Midgardian witch girl was able to show you Asgard first? That’s actually quite remarkable.”

“I’m sure Wanda didn’t mean to do so,” he said. “But, at least it led me in the right direction…if somewhat in an unconventional way.”

“I just wish you’d said something!” you sighed in frustration, “I’ve been stuck here for years with nothing to do and no real time to smash some battle dummies! There was only one minor uprising and I barely got to help with any of it!”

“What, the circumstances of Heimdall and Sif’s expulsion?” Thor raised his eyebrows.

“No,” you shook your head tentatively, “uhm…you remember my cousin, Amora?”

“You mean your little companion from your childhood visits to the palace?” he groaned, “How could I not? She got on too well with Loki and always chased me around the palace gardens. It was embarrassing. She was almost as troublesome as you. Almost.”

“Yeah,” you scratched your neck, “There…might have been a small incident, but it’s fine, she’s been taken care of.”

“Oh my god,” Thor stopped short, “you killed your cousin?!”

“What?” you scrunched up your face, “No! Don’t be ridiculous! I got help from the warriors and Heimdall to banish her to the Realm of Silence so she couldn’t charm anyone else!”

The prince heaved a heavy sigh, “Dear god, you had me scared for a second.”

“Don’t think I wouldn’t,” you reminded your friend with a stern look, crossing your arms as the both of you walked into the very end of the Tragedy of Loki.

Thor’s face said it all, and with one look your way, he didn’t need to speak to tell you what he’d concluded.

“Father!” Thor called out with minute tension in his voice. You watched Odin blanch into his goblet as your own father approached you from the crowd.

“Y/N, when did Thor return?”

“Just a few minutes ago,” you said, “Don’t worry, he’s here to reinstate you.”

“I doubt he can convince Odin to change his mind,” he frowned regretfully. With a warm smile, you patted your father’s arm.

“It’s not Odin he has to convince,” you said, and your father’s jaw dropped in shock as Mjolnir flew past the entire lot of the crowd, the both of you turning to see Thor calling the weapon back with a hand he had placed just behind Odin’s head.

“Thor, Your Highness, see reason!” your father pleaded. “Odin is your father!”

“His counsel is wise, Thor,” Odin nervously interjected.

“But, surely, as the Allfather,” you spoke as Thor opened his mouth, earning a smile from your longtime friend, “you could certainly stop the weapon _you_ created. Is that true, Your Majesty?”

You relished in the sweat that beaded on the so-called king’s forehead, even being so bold as to step in the path of the hammer. You could hear the buzzing of the weapon as it drew closer and closer to the square. Even Thor gave you a hesitant look, but he did not change the course of his weapon.

“ALRIGHT!”

A rush of gasps fell over the crowd as Odin’s image dissipated to reveal Loki himself, the supposedly-deceased adopted Prince of Asgard. He shot Thor a charming smile as he tried to save face.

“Brother,” he nodded. “Lady Y/N. Did you change your skincare routine?”

“I’m always this bitter when it comes to you, you slimy cockroach of a man,” your face remained as stone. Skurge once again caught your attention (and everyone else’s) when he burst through the crowd, running low on breath.

“Thor, son of Odin!” he announced. Loki dropped his amicable act and whirled on the slightly shorter man.

“No! No, you had one job. Just the one,” he snarled. Skurge’s shoulders sank, and he looked to you, gauging your reaction, but you were as difficult to read as ever, keeping your expression stony and frozen.

Instead, you turned your attention to your father.

“Loki must have been masquerading as Odin this entire time,” you said. “He must have only sought Daybreaker’s help against Amora to protect his cover.”

“That time has passed, Y/N,” your father reminded you under his breath. “Amora will not be spoken of, and I assure you, there is no Daybreaker any longer. You know this. Legends are enticing, but that one is not true.”

Oh, how wrong you knew he was.

“Don’t you know what this means, Father?” you smiled, “You never truly lost your position. Odin never dismissed you; Loki did. You can return to the Council.” Even in his doubt of your ‘belief’ in Daybreaker, you could tell he was glad for your part in the return of justice.

“How did I deserve a daughter so smart and beautiful as you?” he said proudly. You smiled gently back at him.

“Probably the same way I earned a father who respects my choice when I ask him to,” you said.

With Thor’s next statement, your attention was returned.

“I will return as soon as possible,” he announced to the kingdom. “Until I return with my father, the House of Light will oversee the undoing of Loki’s usurping.”

You were near certain your father was going to burst into tears.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” he said, giving Thor a deep bow. “I shall serve my kingdom dutifully, and I’m sure my daughter will be able to help things run smoothly.”

“I would expect no less from such an esteemed ally of the throne,” Thor nodded, shooting you a smile. Hoisting Loki on his back and heading toward the Bifrost, you turned to the servant holding the diadem Thor had been carrying the whole way back.

“Keep it in the treasure room,” you advised. “Far away from harm or manipulation.” You felt your father’s hand as a gentle weight on your shoulder.

“There is much to be done, my daughter. It will take a great amount of work to undo all that Loki has done and restore Asgard.”

_Yes,_ you thought to yourself as you watched Skurge dejectedly blended back into the sea of nobles and disappeared among the crowd. _There is much to be done to restoring the people, indeed._


	3. Chapter Two: Sorry's Not Enough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This series employs flashback scenes in a parallel storytelling format-- sort of like a fic two-for-one. All past-set scenes are in italics, and all present-set scenes are in plain text. Thanks for reading!

The fire in your chambers crackled behind you as you sat at your desk, various papers signed by Loki during his tenure as Odin before you. Restoring order to the kingdom was of the utmost importance, but for some reason, you couldn’t get sad, hazel eyes out of your mind.

You dug your nails into your fists in self-reprimand. What he’d done before was unforgivable…but your behavior, especially with hindsight focused back on those events that seemed so long ago, hadn’t been very appropriate, either. As you pondered seeking him out, you audibly grunted in frustration and curled your fingers in a death grip of your desk.

**Damn that man.**

With a soft skidding of your chair against the floor, you rose to your feet, disregarding your work and heading for the golden dome in the distance.

-

“Skurge!”

The man in question turned his head to you as you entered the observatory, setting his work aside to face you. You could see Volstagg and Fandral, standing by Hofund and straightening their posture as you approached the former “guardian” of the Bifrost.

“I thought you didn’t ever want to see me again,” he reminded you, voice hard but not cold.

“I don’t,” you said quickly, “I just…I came to apologize.”

This made him quirk his eyebrows. “The Lady of Light wants to apologize? Is it Opposite Day?”

“Stop joking around for two minutes, will you?”

At your stern, serious tone, the man sobered, noting the distress in your expression.

“Alright, alright. I’m listening.”

“What I said when Thor came back was…” you took a second to swallow your pride, “it was rude of me.”

“It wasn’t wrong,” Skurge shrugged, but you could tell it bothered him.

“But I still shouldn’t have said it.”

“No, you had a point.”

“No, I didn’t,” you insisted, and you held up your hand to keep him from interrupting you again. “I don’t want you to start seeing yourself like everyone else did.”

“Does,” he corrected.

You rolled your eyes and heaved a sigh, “You know what I mean.”

-

_ You had no real desire to sit in on the meeting your father was currently having. You weren’t allowed to contribute– and, even if you did, it would give away your little hobby after such hard work to keep it a secret– so why should you be expected to attend? You loved your father dearly, but as you sat at the chair on his right and listened to another of the noble class (you thought it was another adviser, but you had no interest in his work enough to know which) drone on about the latest odd decision of Odin, you couldn’t help releasing a soft sigh and drifting your eyes toward the window. _

_ A flash of dark hair caught your attention out the window; sure enough, loyal and true Sif was waving at you, keeping watch on any possible onlookers. _

_ “Pardon me, Father,” you said quickly. “I’m due to see the tailor about my new dress. I should not be long.” _

_ “Go, but be hasty,” your father said with a nod, and after a rather rushed curtsy, you picked up your skirt and moved as quickly as you could to your friend in the courtyard. _

_ “He still falls for this?” Sif raised her eyebrows. _

_ “Every time,” you smiled and passed Sif your Daybreaker cloak; she gained a look on concentration as she lifted the hood to her head, and you nodded with approval as her appearance mirrored yours. “It’s only because you know me so well.” _

_ “Aye, and because you know how much I need something clandestine and dangerous to do while there is peace in Asgard.” _

_ “Have fun,” you laughed and made a short trip to the other end of your home, doing your best to keep out of sight. You smiled as you took in the sight of Daybreaker, feeling the cool metal buzz in your hands as you removed it from its place. _

_ “Hello, good friend,” you said under your breath. “Time to keep you from getting rusty.” _

_ You waved the staff in a circular motion, and gold light washed over your dress as your Daybreaker armor– sans cloak– set on your skin. Pleased with the ease of the ritual, you slung the staff over your back and headed toward the secluded training ground you had found for yourself. _

_ The sound of voices made you stop dead in your tracks. Without your cloak, you’d surely be caught. If you were caught…you had no idea how your father would react. _

_ You peered carefully around the corner to see two men speaking with a familiar silhouette…one with no hair to speak of and with an ax slung over his back. From what you could see of the faces of the two unfamiliar men, there was something amusing them; something caught your ears that you weren’t particularly fond of hearing. _

_ You aimed your halberd and directed a warning blast from the sun-marked blade just by one of the men’s heads. _

_ “Daybreaker!” _

_ One of the men grabbed at the arm of the other as both swiftly fled. Sure enough, their victim turned, revealing the face of Skurge, one that questioned you as you stepped forward into the hall. _

_ “Lady Y/N.” _

_ “It’s Skurge, isn’t it? You’re the one from Vanaheim,” you pointed out. He nodded, and you relaxed, knowing he wouldn’t out your secret with you standing in front of him, armed and dangerous. _

_ “Surprised you remembered. I’m sure you see lots of important-” _

_ “Why did they call you that?” _

_ “Excuse me?” _

_ “Vargdropi. Why would they say that to you? Your father’s a fine stonemason. He built most of the statues of my family line.” _

_ Skurge held his head back in a questioning tilt, “Not important. …What are you doing here? Isn’t that whole stabby staffy thing supposed to be a secret?” _

_ “It is a secret. Lady Sif has taken my place in my family’s meeting hall while I go and practice.” _

_ “Like you need it,” he said. “I saw you at Vanaheim. No one in this realm fights like you, not even Thor. That thing is intense.” _

_ “It’s been in my family for generations. A dead wife and no sons seemed like a good reason to him for putting it away,” you shrugged. “Most of its higher powers are unknown.” _

_ He was quiet for a moment. You didn’t quite understand his lack of elaboration; it wasn’t unnerving, but something about it was striking you as odd. _

_ “You said you were keeping sharp, right? I could…I know a place where most of the soldiers won’t see you…since you’re not all hooded and mysterious as usual,” he offered, adding out of habit, “Lady Y/N.” _

_ Raising your eyebrows in interest, you nodded and followed the taller man out behind the armory, into one of the more secluded areas of the gardens by the barracks for Asgard’s soldiers. _

_ “Suitable?” he asked. You smiled and lifted your halberd. _

_ “Quite,” you challenged. “But are you?” _

_ He grinned as he swung his ax at you, metal sparking metal on contact. _

-

“Well, apology accepted,” he said. “Don’t get all emotional on me.”

That stung a little, all things considered, but you reduced your anger to your thoughts alone with a calming breath of air; after all, he had no idea how you had seen him before.

How you still saw him.

Privately.

Of course.

Besides, he had that same dry, teasing tone from your early acquaintance that had never gone away; you supposed you’d hard-wired sarcasm into him, at this point.

“Trust me, I won’t,” you said firmly. Without another word, you turned to head back toward your home.

“Y/N!”

His voice caught your attention, and you half-turned to face him. His face was muddled with earnest and bittersweet regret.

“I’m…sorry, too,” he said, shifting his weight back onto his heels, almost looking ashamed. “I mean, about-”

“Don’t apologize,” you said, tensing. You knew exactly what he was talking about. “Sorry isn’t good enough.”

You were right, and he knew it, watching you walk away again. How could you not be? After how close you had been, he was lucky you’d even spoken to him at the Bifrost when Thor returned.

-

_ When the two of you finally lowered your weapons, there was no way to tell who was more drenched in sweat or who had won. _

_ “Alright, I give,” Skurge bent over and placed his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “You- you are way too fast. How are more people not scared of you? Gods, woman, you could have killed me.” _

_ “Now,” you breathed in, “don’t discount yourself. That was a good swing. I’m just glad you didn’t catch my hair.” _

_ He smiled amicably; he was less threatening and beastly, that way. You were just happy for the practice, and he seemed to agree. _

_ “That was fun, though,” you stood. “You were almost a challenge. Almost.” _

_ “Perhaps you’d like to try again next week…see if you’re still so confident,” he stood tall, challenging you but keeping his friendly expression. _

_ You smirked. _

_ “I’ll send a raven. If you think you can really get that much better in a week.” _

_ Both of you grinned as you went separate ways; perhaps now you’d have another opponent worthy of training with. _

_ Perhaps even another friend. _


	4. Chapter Three: The Arrival

By the time you returned, your father was looking over what work you had sitting at your desk.

“‘Tear that ugly statue down from Odin’s courtyard’?” he sounded almost amused when he read your words.

“Loki doesn’t deserve it,” you said. “He couldn’t even properly sacrifice himself for the good of the universe without stabbing us in the back.” Even shaking his head, he was smiling.

“I still remember having to chase you through every bush in that garden when the time came to leave the princes and go home,” he said wistfully. “Look at you now, still so young and full of energy and life. I’m lucky you don’t still run around with those sons of Odin in such wild fashion. I have trouble enough keeping you under control as you are.”

Your lip and teeth were the only barriers between the conversation and your laugh of irony.

“At least the palace is back in safe hands,” you said, adding dryly, “unless you’ve been replaced, as well.”

“Please, don’t jest,” he sighed. “Every day I fear Amora’s treachery has made you-”

“Father, please…” you gave him a pleading, anguished look. He didn’t need for you to continue begging him.

“I…I have some things to examine in the treasure room,” he stepped toward the door. “Just to ensure Loki has not pilfered the Tesseract away…. I will return before dinner.”

Your father left you in your room, alone with your thoughts of the not-distant-enough past.

-

_ Skurge was a persistent sparring partner, you gave him that much. It had been only a fortnight since your first training session, but neither of you had given up on the arrangement; and, to your surprise, he made a surprisingly apt confidant. _

_ “You have a cousin?” he asked. _

_ “Amora,” you explained with a nod, the both of you leaning side-by-side against one of the rails in your alcove overlooking the city. “She was taken on by a master of magic…she’s been traveling for years. I haven’t seen her since Father tried handing me off to Thor. She sent me this cloak, but other than that, none of us have heard from her. Probably off charming some far-off kingdom with her powers, as usual.” _

_ “And you won’t be able to get away at all,” he looked at you with a frown. _

_ “Not unless Sif and I pull another bait and switch, though Amora isn’t likely to be fooled by her own magic,” you shrugged. He pushed himself back to an upright standing position, eyes on the horizon. _

_ “That’s a shame. You almost bested me,” he said. You gave him a friendly shove. _

_ “Only because you underestimate yourself.” _

_ “For good reason,” something downcast rose in his eyes. You had no idea where his doubts came from; they clashed with his booming personality, and you hated to see him so downtrodden every now and again. _

_ “Don’t let them get to you,” you insisted. “You’re not what they say you are. Whatever they see you as, it’s not true. You’re not any less worthy than they are.” You didn’t notice the way the guards in his eyes fell down at your words, “Besides, I’m just as discounted as you are. They call me Lady of Light, Light of Valhalla…all these courtly things…I don’t want to just be Kustaa’s daughter.” _

_ He smiled sincerely at you, “You aren’t. Not to me. You’re the mighty Daybreaker, aren’t you?” _

_ “Thor’s always been the mighty one,” you gave an empty laugh, but smiled nonetheless. “Though, I suppose he’s off being mighty with those Midgardians he likes so much.” _

_ There was a pause, a halt in the conversation, though not an uncomfortable one. Something in the air was different; what, you could not explain, but it had a pleasant airiness to it that you hadn’t felt since taking up your family’s honored weapon. _

_ “I should get home before dinner. My father…he worries enough about me as it is,” you said. _

_ Skurge nodded, “He’s right to. You’re a troublemaker.” _

_ “It’s why we get on so well,” you laughed and made your way back toward your home, wishing you could bring your friend with you. _

-

You had no reason to believe there was anything out of the ordinary going on– aside from, of course, the restructuring of the entire kingdom from ever decree Loki had enacted. Your cheek rested on your hand as you pored over more papers and pamphlets and plays to be removed from the Asgardian royal library…you barely even registered when the lights of the Bifrost bridge sparkled to life across the way from your window.

Not even five minutes later, an Einherjar guard appeared at your door.

“Lady Y/N,” he said. “You must be relocated.”

“Relocated?” you shifted in your seat, “For what?”

“A dangerous woman has appeared in Asgard. She has killed Fandral and Volstagg at the gate. Hogun and your father are raising an army to meet her.”

Your heart stopped. If Fandral and Volstagg were dead, then….

“Where does my father want me taken?” you asked, doing all possible to hide the wavering in your voice.

“Odin’s treasure room.”

Your nerves steeled. The treasure room did not contain a single precious thing to your father or you; the only thing that mattered to you was the artifact in your own home.

“Do not come for me until she reaches the center of the city,” you demanded, “I will gather what I can here and wait for you then. Do not…do not leave my father’s side until you are certain it is time.”

“Lady Y/N, your father-”

“My opinion on my father’s demands is clear!” you snapped, grieving fire in your throat, “I will not be reduced to a damsel waiting for evacuation!”

The Einherjar guard bowed his head and left; he would not question the rage of a noblewoman. You returned to your desk, bit your lip, and clasped your hands as you ducked your head. Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes, but you refused to let them fall. Your last conversation had been so cold…should-haves and regrets swirled in your head.

All those years…all that time…you had trusted him and loved him and hated him in that order. And now, he was gone.

-

_ You stood between your father and Sif at the Bifrost, arms clasped before you over your candlelight yellow dress as you waited for Amora to step through. _

_ “Let’s just hope she’s less of a spoiled brat than in our youth,” Sif whispered beside you. _

_ “I’m sure she’s mellowed with age and wisdom,” you said, wanting to give your cousin the benefit of the doubt. She had been a dramatic child, but if you could grow out of your hot head, she could grow out of her more diva-like tendencies. _

_ It wasn’t long before Amora stepped through the Bifrost, looking the same but different. Slender and tall, with flowing, blonde locks and gleaming green eyes, perfectly matching her apple green dress, there was an air about her that teetered between vain and worldly. _

_ “Uncle. Y/N. Sif. It is good to be home,” Amora smiled pleasantly. You dipped your head toward your cousin. _

_ “It is good to have you home,” you said. “It has been far too long.” _

_ “I agree,” your father clapped your back and bowed his head to Amora, as well. “We have arranged a grand feast for your return. All the kingdom has been invited for this momentous occasion.” _

_ She flushed just so, all poise and grace, “Uncle, you flatter me.” _

_ “You grew up alongside my Light of Valhalla, Y/N. You might as well be another daughter to me.” _

_ “Come,” Heimdall waved the group of you toward the city, “there is much for you to see to reacquaint yourself, Lady Amora.” _

_ Something simmered in your stomach; your cousin’s eagerness was unusual, but you paid it no mind as you followed the keeper of the Bifrost back towards your home. _

-

You did your best not to concentrate on the sounds of the soldiers in combat outside the far window. Hogun and your father were apt and skilled warriors. Even in his old age, he was still one of the strongest men you had ever seen.

You were not going to look upon the woman who had killed your friends.

You were better than that.

You knew not to give her the satisfaction of finding you.

…Just a quick look couldn’t hurt.

Balling your fists to gather your courage, you made strides to the room just off of yours that overlooked the center of the city. Familiar angry, searing heat burned across your skin at the sight of who was standing just back from Hela, looking upon her destruction as she ravaged the soldiers of Asgard.

Skurge, it seemed, had found another magical woman to save his skin.

As the last soldier fell, your heart stopped. Only Hogun and your father remained. Your fist rose over your mouth as Hela, tall and lean, materialized a blade and threw it into Hogun with no hesitation; you restrained yourself to a harsh intake of anxious air.

You felt your stomach drop as she approached your father and placed her foot over his torso. You noticed that Skurge could see you, and his face blanched with horror when he realized you could see the whole thing.

“No, no, no…” you whispered as a blade materialized in Hela’s hand.

With a swift swing, she made a clean cut through your father’s neck.

**“NO!!!!!”**

You felt sick to your stomach, and reality seemed to fuzz in your vision; you couldn’t tell if it was the terror or the tears. Your father, the one true family member you had left, who had tucked you in at night and called you his light and held you in your most trying times…he was simply gone, with no grand fanfare or dramatics.

It suddenly occurred to you, though, that Hela had spotted you.

You had no choice. You had to flee and find Heimdall and Sif, and you had to do it immediately.

Tearing off as fast as your feet could carry you, you snatched your cloak and ran toward the hall where Daybreaker was kept, hoping against hope that it wasn’t out there with that murderous witch. Sure enough, it was gleaming in its case, and you could feel it buzzing, just barely standing before it until realizing the monster was turning the corner with her lackey.

“Aren’t you a pretty one?” she said, voice like venom, cutting and sharp and paining your very core. “Y/N Kustaasdottir. If your reaction serves me correct.”

You didn’t speak. She had a large headdress like spikes and spider’s legs combined, with dead green eyes and skin as pale as moonlight. You refused to speak to your father’s killer, not unarmed and not alone. Skurge, you noticed, was not at all compelled to look you in the face.

“Speak, child. Unless you want to suffer your father’s fate.”

You only gasped as she forced you to your knees, painfully arching you back to open your chest and neck to pierce it. The pendant at your neck buzzed, sun-like charm hot, almost like it wanted you to attack. You couldn’t have, even if you wanted to, and you had no desire to reveal your only defense while she had you defenseless.

Skurge, fully recognizing what you wore around your neck when he saw the empty display behind you, gathered every ounce of his strength and shouted, “Wait! You can use her!”

You had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, but if it kept you alive, you weren’t going to question it.

“This soft one?” Hela looked at you with disdain. “She’s a lady of the court.”

“A bargaining chip,” Skurge quickly offered. “If there are citizens who don’t kneel, you can make them kneel to keep her alive. No one will resist. I promise, you can use her.”

Hela bored her eyes into yours, and suddenly, you became as determined as possible for the first time in your life to look as defenseless and helpless as possible to keep yourself alive.

“I see…pain. Anguish. We might be able to turn her to our cause. Breaking people is my specialty, after all. But there’s something else….”

You breathed out in relief as she released you, and you stood.

“Take her to the dungeons below the palace. You may be right. We may have use for her, after all.”

Skurge walked behind you as Hela led you from your home.

You had no idea how to go on or what she had in store, but you were not about to let another magical usurper get away with the throne.


	5. Chapter Four: In Hot Water

You were both numb and silent as you sat in the cell beneath the palace. Emotionally, physically…you couldn’t tell just how much you couldn’t feel.

Watching you folded in on yourself, elbows on your knees and head in your hands as you sat, stoic and bowed, on the bench, Skurge felt a pang in his chest. He couldn’t bear to see you like this.

“You could at least talk to me,” he said. Hela had let you and him be— she knew just how cowardly he was, just enough to ensure loyalty— so there was no reason not to comfort you. “At least you’re alive.”

“I’m alive?” your voice shook with intensity as you looked up at him, eyes rimmed red.  **“At least I’m alive?!”** With one stride, you got as much in his face as the wall of transparent energy would allow; the veins in your arms were gilded with light and heat. “I would die a thousand deaths rather than stand for my father to be executed in such a heinous, honorless way!”

He didn’t even flinch.

“I’m doing all that I can to protect you,” he frowned. “I’m not asking for gratitude. I don’t even expect your forgiveness. We both know that’s never been your strong suit.”

“At least you’ve managed to grasp something about me,” you snarked back, the fire not leaving your blood.

“Y/N,” he said, as gentle and firm as he could muster in the face of your fury. “You’ve got to calm down.”

“Since when have you ever been one to-”

“You’re burning again. If Hela finds out…” he stopped. You stepped back. He was right. Even in your rage, you knew what the consequences of her discovery of your…unique gifts would do. It would be over for Asgard, over for the universe.

“…This doesn’t mean I don’t care that you didn’t even stop her,” you took a breath, but you couldn’t stop anything that was coming out of your mouth. “I can’t believe you didn’t stop her! My father was the damned head of the Defense Council! He would have known exactly what we’re up against and-”

“We’re?” he almost had a little half-smirk.

“Don’t.”

“So, you do want my help? Because I heard a hard ‘we’re’ just now.”

“I don’t need your bloody help!”

“Really? I mean, I’m on the outside of this cell, and you’re inside, so if we were actually on the same side of this-”

“Stop teasing me! We as in Asgard!” your cheeks were puffed in frustration, and you rolled your eyes as he chuckled at you.

“Don’t think I don’t miss the back-and-forth,” he said. “Although, you’re normally better at it.”

“…Don’t get sentimental on me, either,” you frowned and took a seat on your bench.

-

_ The feast was extravagant, that was for sure. There was no way it wouldn’t be. Your family’s solar crest hung on banners, gleaming in the beautifully-lit grand hall. Amora was the belle of the ball, as you expected, and you hardly minded. You were much happier with the company of Sif, Heimdall, and the Warriors. _

_ “Any news from Thor?” you asked Heimdall, lifting your drink to your lips. _

_ “Still travelling, I believe,” he responded. “He moves in and out of my sight as he travels through the universe…the more he moves, the harder it becomes to trace him. You both share a habit of restlessness.” _

_ “Not that I’m surprised,” Sif said. “Probably off showing the Midgardian girl how wonderful the universe it.” She was still bitter, you could tell; you knew she’d harbored a quiet affection for the older Prince of Asgard, and when Jane had come to Asgard, you remained by her side. _

_ “I might take up travel, myself,” Fandral suggested, grinning jokingly. “I mean, look at how it has made your cousin. She’s certainly less exaggerated.” _

_ Your eyes, however, weren’t on your cousin. They had fallen to the warrior and his father speaking to the Einherjar guards at the door. _

-

He didn’t respond to your almost bittersweet critique, simply heaving a sigh before he left you be.

You had no idea what Hela’s plan was, but you had a pretty good idea of what didn’t need to happen.

“Heimdall,” you whispered, clutching your necklace as the solar charm burned and buzzed in your closed fist. “If you can hear me, we need to talk.”

Orange overcame your eye color again, and you were suddenly standing before Sif in the woods; not having seen your friend in the better part of a year, you were relieved to see she was still the same and different, just as you were– swathed in a red cloak, with her hair cut shorter, and still with that same fierce, protective gleam.

“I saw her,” Heimdall nodded from his position across from you. “Hela.”

“Who is she?” you breathed.

“A monster from before your time…before Thor…before Asgard knew peace. What is the status of the city?”

“Hela has killed all the guards and warriors,” you informed him, hesitating only a moment, “the Warriors Three, the palace royal guards, even….”

“Where are you now? Can you reach us?”

“Not without alerting her to your presence,” you shook your head. “She has me placed in the palace dungeons. Skurge…Skurge convinced her to spare me.”

“Well,” Sif quirked her lips bitterly, “at least he’s done you some good.”

“I fear she means to take the Nine Realms,” you quickly changed the subject. “She cannot open the Bifrost.”

“I have figured as such. Are there survivors?”

“Possibly,” you mused. “Most are likely headed your way.”

“Sif,” Heimdall said sternly, “wait here for any refugees. I will see what can be done about the Bifrost.”

“And me?” you asked.

“Stay where you are. Keep her distracted as much as possible. You make just as keen a speaker as a warrior,” Heimdall said. “When we can manage a plan to escape, I will contact you.”

Without another word, your old friends vanished, and you were back in the dungeon cell. With good timing to boot, because Skurge was leading Hela toward your holding chamber.

“Enjoying your accommodations, child?” Hela’s voice was condescending.

“Not really,” you admitted, hugging your arms in a move of false discomfort. “It’s…not as roomy as I’m used to.”

“Prove yourself loyal, and perhaps you can be moved up to the palace to advise your queen,” she smiled. “Skurge did mention what an eloquence you have.”

“When my temper stays in check,” you admitted.

-

_ “One moment,” you excused yourself. Sure enough, it was Skurge and Halvar at the door. _

_ “Forgive us, Halvar,” one of the guards said, not noticing your approach. “But we must ask that your son not enter.” _

_ “For what reason?” Halvar looked tired. _

_ “He is of questionable character…given his history.” _

_ “My son is a warrior of Asgard, just as you and the other soldiers are,” Halvar pressed. _

_ “The vargdr-” _

_ “Gentlemen,” you interrupted, catching the guards by surprise. “I don’t like to hear that language in my household.” _

_ “Lady Y/N,” one bowed. _

_ “You may stand,” you said. “The entire kingdom was invited to this feast. If they are seeking entrance, allow it.” _

_ “With all due respect, my lady-” _

_ “I am the lady of this household and I command that you allow them in,” you said with finality. The guards moved aside; Skurge didn’t meet your eyes as he and his father entered the grand hall. _

_ “My thanks, Lady Y/N,” Halvar smiled. He took your hands in his calloused ones and bowed his head respectfully, “I would never seek to create a scene in your home.” _

_ “You have done good work in this kingdom for many years, Halvar. They were in the wrong, not you,” you insisted. “You are no outlaw, and your son is no child of one.” _

_ He looked as though he didn’t believe you, which stoked your curiosity. This wasn’t the place. You could not ask here, not where so many would judge. _

_ Later, you decided. You would ask later. Instead, you waved Skurge aside, away from prying eyes that would question how a high-born lady knew the warrior son of a humble stonemason. _

_ “I’m sorry about the lack of door hospitality,” you said. “Some people are just bull-headed and rude.” _

_ “If I’m not mistaken,” he chuckled, the levity returning to his eyes, “that’s exactly what you said I was the last time I-” _

_ “Ears are a thing, you know,” you quickly hushed him. He nodded, understanding. _

_ “Sorry. So, all this hoopla is for your cousin?” _

_ “Yes, over there,” you pointed at Amora, chatting amicably with King Odin over mulled mead. “She usually gets special treatment, anyway, though, since…Skurge?” _

_ Your friend was still looking at your cousin, seeming surprised. You furrowed your brow, not prepared for his distraction. _

_ “Skurge, are you listening?” you asked, and he turned his attention back to you. _

_ “Sorry, I just…she’s not what I expected,” he said, his voice softening. Something unpleasant knotted in your stomach. _

_ “That is the usual reaction,” you replied, voice developing an edge it didn’t usually. You called over a servant for drinks, but even as you tried to maintain conversation, Skurge’s eyes kept wandering over to Amora. _

_ “What are you looking at?” you asked. His lack of attention almost stung– what was going on? _

_ “Why, cousin, I didn’t know you were courting someone,” Amora smiled, somehow having worked her way over to you and your companion. _

_ You and Skurge stumbled over each other to explain her accusation away. _

_ “Amora, no-” _

_ “We aren’t-” _

_ “This isn’t- _

_ “I’m not-” _

_ “Skurge is Halvar’s son,” you said quickly. “I was just asking him what he thought of the statue of Loki that just went up.” _

_ “Overblown, in my opinion,” Amora sighed, “but very fitting for that tricky man. I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Amora.” _

_ “…Hello there,” Skurge floundered in the (likely unfamiliar) formal setting. Amora thrust her cup at you to take his hand. _

_ “I didn’t know Halvar had such a strong son,” she said; the more you talked, the thinner your mouth got, and the more you wanted her to go away. “Your armor is remarkable, though I’m sure it doesn’t do you justice.” _

_ “…Thank you,” he puffed himself up slightly. You tried to keep your boiling disbelief off your face. “I…do train regularly.” You almost couldn’t believe his immense hubris. _

_ “Well, I hope to see you again as long as I’m here,” Amora dipped her head with a small smile. “It’s alright, Y/N, you don’t have to hold that for me.” _

_ You didn’t notice the scalding orange-red in your veins as Amora took her cup back, and she suddenly yelped and dropped the cup to the ground. _

_ “That burns!” she frowned. “How did that happen?” _

_ “Someone probably charmed the mead to be funny,” Skurge offered, leading Amora off to tend to her hand; you were too busy staring at your own as the color in your veins faded. _

_ When you looked up, your father already had a concerned frown turned in your direction. _

-

“I like her already,” Hela smirked your way. “Bring her to the throne room, Skurge. The three of us have some redecorating to do.”

You released a soft breath as the energy wall came down, and you made yourself walk forward and behind the woman up the stairs and into the throne room. You turned your eyes up to the portraits of Asgard’s history…the art almost seemed bittersweet with Queen Frigga dead and Odin somewhere only the brothers of Asgard knew.

“Ugh, the lies sicken me,” she snarled. “Father wants to portray Asgard as a benevolent nation? Didn’t he remember how we made it as great as it stands today?”

Hela blasted several blades into the ceiling, cracking the art, and Skurge moved to shield you with his body as the mosaics came crashing to the floor…revealing a darker stone tapestry underneath. Hela, riding a wolf, at the side of Odin, the side of your father…slaughtering realms with Mjolnir.

Your father had worked with this monster of a woman holding your captive now. Your father had known how deadly she was, and he had faced her down, anyway.

When the proud tears sparkled in your eyes, you had no idea how much Skurge wanted to wipe them away.

“Now,” Hela settled herself on the throne, dissipating her headdress to reveal sleek black hair, “you, Skurge, tell me your story.”

“Well,” he began earnestly, “my dad was a stonemason, my mum was a-”

“No, no, no, spare me the bitter details. What’s your ambition?”

You almost felt sad for him as he heaved his shoulders, “I’m just trying to make a name for myself.”

Almost was the key word for you.

You knew where his quest had led him.

“I like it…interesting…you know, Skurge,” Hela leaned almost casually on the arm of the throne. “When I was younger, every great king had an executioner. Not just for executing people, but also to execute their vision…but, mostly people…. I was Odin’s executioner, you know. Perhaps you’d like to be mine.”

It wasn’t like he was in a position to decline, but you didn’t look at his as he nodded, and when Hela produced a powerful ax, he didn’t hesitate to take it.

“What about you, dear?” she turned her attention to you. “What is it about you that makes you so indispensable?”

Skurge tensed, wondering if you’d reveal the one thing he’d hoped Hela would never learn about you.

-

_ As the guests trickled out of the hall, you had taken refuge on a balcony to collect your thoughts. Had you made Amora’s drink so blindingly hot? How was that possible? Daybreaker was the only thing that gave you any power…this was impossible. _

_ “Y/N,” your father said tersely, and you turned around to face him. _

_ “Father.” _

_ “I noticed that you seem to have…figured something out.” _

_ “What do you mean?” you feigned innocence. Your father came to stand before you and took the hand you’d been scrutinizing, carefully tracing over the flesh with trembling fingers and a sad look in his eyes. _

_ “Did I ever tell you how your mother died?” _

_ “She died when I was a baby,” you recounted. _

_ “Half the truth,” he said, sounding regretful. “Your mother was…ill in the final months of her pregnancy. Helsickness, we called it…your birth was such a labor for her in her weakened state that you did not cry nor move…Odin dipped you in the Eternal Flame itself in hopes that you would breathe.” _

_ You felt your breath now stop. You were dead on arrival…and now you had fire in your veins. _

_ “We expected that all would be well with the healing flame,” your father sighed, “but your mother’s Helsickness stoked flames in your veins. Y/N, you have no idea how dangerous this power is. You must not try to summon this power again.” _

_ “I wasn’t-” _

_ “Y/N,” your father’s voice was more stern than you’d ever heard before. “Promise me.” _

_ You bowed your head and sighed. _

_ “I promise.” _

-

“I’m no one,” you insisted after a moment. “I have the trust of my father and the people of Asgard. Other than that…I’m nothing.”

Hela’s dark lips curled into a dangerous grin.

“Trust can be a dangerous weapon. I may have use for you, yet. There are fires to stoke within you. You’ll be a fine chess piece…we’ll call you…my Fire of Hel.”

You didn’t speak. Skurge looked at you with concern, but you made no acknowledgement of his betrayal of emotion. If Hela had read the silent exchanges between you two, you were doomed already.

You were not about to let your father’s killer make Skurge a weapon and you a pawn.


	6. Chapter Five: The Calm Before The Storm

You almost wanted to thank Skurge for finding a reason to take you back underground and away from that horrible woman.

Almost.

It would have helped if he wasn’t scolding your ear off the entire time-- which was absolutely not in the job description of “executioner,” in your humble opinion.

“You can’t think she doesn’t suspect you of being able to burn a bloody building down?!” He snapped. “‘When I keep my temper in check,’ please. Aren’t you supposed to be the grand-“

You grabbed his arm harshly and gave him a withering, burning glare.

“Finish that sentence and I might just make you eat your words.”

Skurge took in a harsh breath, “I’m just trying to protect you. You’re making it awfully hard to do that.”

“I don’t need your protection,” you snarled, crossing your arms as you stepped back into your cell. “Stop treating me like a damsel in distress!”

“Can’t you see I’m trying to make things better by doing this?” he frowned. “What in the hell do I have to do to show you that I want to make amends?”

Without hesitation, you stared him down, the memory of his passive stance as your father lost his life still fresh in your mind, “Die.”

He wanted to argue. He wanted to fight you so bad on this issue to try and understand why you were so determined to keep your ivory walls up to him. What he also knew, though, was he was getting nowhere...his current tactics were getting him absolutely no further in opening up the secret to getting things back to the way they were.

“I’m just trying to show you that I still care about you. It’s not been easy, exactly, but I don’t want to hate you. And I don’t want us to be enemies, not now. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, Y/N. And I’m sorry that I’m so awful at not mucking that up.”

Even though you didn’t want to admit it, he had a point. You’d trusted him with everything, and he’d given you the same respect...for the most part.

-

_“I’m just trying to understand,” you ducked under another swing of Skurge’s weapon one quiet afternoon where you had been able to slip away from your father and cousin unnoticed. “You have honor from your father and your career. What in the nine hells could possibly prove that to you?”_

_“It’s not as simple as you think,” he reasoned. “It’s not like that to other people. Not all of us are lucky enough to have magic Eternal Flame blood.”_

_“No one but Father and King Odin knows about that, and it wasn’t my choice.”_

_“You and I know,” he dryly responded, “and my issue wasn’t my choice, either.”_

_“Skurge,” you stopped and held Daybreaker at your side, and he paused his offense as well, “I just want to know if there’s anything I can do about this.”_

_“You don’t have to worry about me,” he lowered his head, hazel eyes looking sad. “I know my place. Not even Amora said there was anything that could be done.”_

_He had struck a chink in your armor without even touching you._

_“You told Amora but not me?” you asked quietly. “She’s barely been here two weeks, Skurge.”_

_“I didn’t tell her everything,” he insisted. “She just asked about me and we talked. A lot. She’s a good listener.”_

_“I’m plenty a good listener,” you cast your eyes to the side so as not to betray the hurt in them. Why was this new knowledge affecting you this way? It was his story to tell, not yours. Still…._

_“Well, I know that,” he shrugged and rocked back on his feet like he was considering his words. “I just...didn’t want to feel like I had to burden all my leftover teen angst onto you. You shouldn’t have to feel alone. I’d never want you to feel alone in anything.”_

_Something new in your chest fluttered in the way he was looking at you. You pondered it only a moment and just barely had time to consider taking his hand and assure him that you never felt alone with him until you heard footsteps and quickly collapsed Daybreaker into a pendant charm._

_“So this is where you run off to,” Amora looked amused as she stepped into the alcove. You felt naked, like she had walked in on you kissing the man before you instead of sparring with him._

_Not that you didn’t think about kissing sometimes…._

_“Don’t mind me. I think it’s very sweet, this whole forbidden friendship thing,” she laughed. You kind of wanted to punch her in her perfect teeth. “I’m glad you spend time with my cousin, Skurge. She’s been rather lonely since Thor moved on to Midgard. Though, honestly, I can see where she’s coming from.”_

_Skurge looked just as embarrassed as you, and he stepped away to give you space._

_“I was just looking for Skurge,” Amora clarified. “I’ve been having an issue with something I’m working on that I think he might be able to help with.”_

_Skurge looked between you and Amora, but made no move to select either one._

_“Y/N and I were having a conversation,” he tried to reason. “Can it wait? I mean-“_

_“No,” you quickly shook your head, shoving your petty jealousy aside. “That’s alright. I probably should go, anyway.”_

_He moved to protest, but you gave him a smile and made a simple promise to meet again soon. You didn’t want him to feel obligated to you, after all._

_That wasn’t what your friendship was for. You didn’t feel right trying to keep him to yourself, no matter how much you enjoyed his company._

_Besides, you were due for an important conversation, anyway._

_-_

You were starting to regret your decision to kick Skurge out of your sight as night passed into morning. It was much colder than you expected, down in the dungeons, even in the high-security, light-walled cell, not even the fire in your veins could keep you warm.

Or, you realized upon waking, it could have possibly been the smirking angry evil green and black lady standing outside your cell with your...whatever Skurge was.

“Rise and shine, my Fire of Hel,” she greeted with her usual venomous poise. “We have good work to do.”

You didn’t respond, merely following the duo to the stairs, but you tilted your head in confusion when she directed the two of you down a different hall-- the walkway to Odin’s treasure room.

“Where are you taking us?” you asked, hoping it would come off as your falsely docile persona and not as the genuine worry you felt.

“Oh, dear,” Hela laughed condescendingly at you. “Did you really think I could conquer all of the Nine Realms with an executioner and a councilman’s waif alone?”

You ignored the way Skurge’s grip on his fancy new ax tightened.

The three of you proceeded down the hall, and you weren’t sure if it was just because the Royal Family was absent or not, but you felt personally insulted at the way Hela turned up her nose at all the artifacts on display; how dare she turn her nose up at the Tesseract, or knock over a large, golden gauntlet?

“Here,” she stopped at the Eternal Flame burning bright orange in a bowl; you tugged your cloak tighter around you in hopes that it would hide the glowing in your veins at the proximity. The goddess summoned a large warhammer from her body and began smashing through the floor. Skurge held an arm in front of you as you both peered down into the hole she had made.

“Want to see what real power looks like?” she looked directly at you, and you flinched just so as she pulled a piece of the Flame into her hand, leaping backwards down into the hole.

“Are you alright?” Skurge asked. You shook out your shoulders and tried to fathom your moment of weakness.

“I...I think so? Nothing like this has ever happened-”

A bright green flame billowed from inside the hole, and you felt something horrible ripping at your stomach. You crumpled over, letting out only the slightest noise of pain, and Skurge was beside you in an instant, keeping you steady and trying to see what was going on.

Hela emerged not even a moment later, and you pushed Skurge away to keep your captor from assuming. Behind her, a large, black wolf appeared, eyes gleaming that same fiery green, and an army of the dead rose behind it.

All the while, the goddess of death was looking on top of the world.

“Come, Skurge,” she smirked. “It’s time to head for the gate.”

Your heart stopped as Skurge begrudgingly stood and followed the woman. If Heimdall hadn’t reached Hofund, then it was too late. It wouldn’t matter what Skurge did to try and keep you safe.

None of it would matter.

Your father’s death…

Your father would die for nothing if they reached that bridge.

You steeled yourself and set your face hard, clutching your pendant.

Heimdall would hear you.

He’d know exactly what you wanted to do.

He’d been your closest ally since the beginning. If you were ready to do this, he’d be the one to help.

You could not let another damned green magical woman put another damned evil plan into motion.

-

_You knocked on Halvar’s door, and you tugged your hood closer around the sides of your face, hoping that no one would recognize you. It was only a moment before Halvar opened, smiling kindly at your appearance._

_“Lady, Y/N,” he dipped his head respectfully. “Come in. How may I assist you?”_

_“Hello, Halvar,” you said, taking your hood down. “Is...Skurge home, at all?”_

_“No, he hasn’t returned yet. Why? Are you searching for him? He said he was going to be training with the Daybreaker again….”_

_“I thought I saw him with my cousin, earlier,” you said, masking the bitterness in your tone at the memory from before in the day. “He must have left training early.”_

_“I’ve been so proud of him for training with such a warrior of legend. One who associates with Prince Thor himself…” you smiled at Halvar’s quiet pride. “Even if I have never met him, I’m sure Daybreaker has done much for him.”_

_“I’m glad you feel that way,” you felt warmth at his kind words. “I actually wanted to ask you about something...I know we don’t speak very much, but I wanted to ask about why the guards were being so rude to him at Amora’s welcoming feast.”_

_Halvar suddenly looked millennia older._

_“It’s my fault.”_

_“Halvar, you’ve never committed any crime against Asgard,” you assured him. “You’re a good man.”_

_He cast his eyes to his fire as he spoke, “I...may have committed a...small treason...some time ago.”_

_Confusion blossomed across your face._

_“You’re not a soldier and you have no reason to.”_

_“That’s usually how those sorts of things work, though,” he sighed. “Long ago...there was a conflict with the Storm Giants.”_

_“An uprising,” you nodded. “My father aided Odin in command of quelling it. I heard you were among the defensive structure supports who was captured at the Black Siege.”_

_“I was,” he nodded. “The Storm Giants put me to work enforcing their structures, including their palaces. And I….”_

_“Halvar?” you asked. He looked down for a long time, before he looked at you with the earnest eyes he had passed to his son._

_“I fell in love.”_

_Your brow furrowed, but you let him continue._

_“One of the Storm King’s councilmen had a lovely daughter...we spent an immense amount of time together,” he sounded sad. “It wasn’t long before...we married...in secret.”_

_Your heart broke for him._

_“Our son was already born when the Asgardian forces rescued me,” he sighed. “I pleaded for them to spare her. I wanted so desperately for him to have a mother that he could be proud of. I was lucky they only sent her away...forbade her from seeing her son. I always hated that name they gave him...Skurge. He’s just as worthy of a chance at his own path as much as any of us.”_

_“I’m so sorry that he was treated that way,” you said, standing. “I’ll ensure it doesn’t happen again.”_

_No, you’d never want to see him discounted when he was such a good man at heart._

_You made your way home after thanking Halvar for his time and trust. You were nearly up the steps of your home when you saw Skurge slowly trudging down the steps, shoulders sunken down._

_“Skurge!” you called, running up to him. He looked tense and unsure what to say._

_“Y/N?” he asked._

_“I spoke to your father...he told me everything,” you said, and he drew in a nervous breath that you wouldn’t stop to let him exhale. You gently took his hands. “I won’t see you doubt yourself just because of who you are. You can’t change that-- neither of us can change what we are. I just want you to know that I’ll always support you…no matter what other people say about you.”_

_When he looked at you, his eyes glimmered with hope._

_“You- you don’t have to do that,” he said quietly. “I don’t deserve it. Besides, I don’t- if Thor comes back, I don’t want to get between--”_

_“Thor and I have never been like that. There’s nothing for you to get between. Besides, I want to...to support you,” you insisted. “I don’t think we should have to hide our...friendship.” You hesitated on the word, but continued on. “I want people to know that I’m not afraid to accept you as you are.”_

_He gaped wordlessly; with his eyes so close to your face, you could see all the emotion swimming in them. All sorts of softness you’d rarely seen from him...and something bittersweet, even?_

_“Y/N...I think I’ve made a mistake,” he said quietly. “I...may I speak to you...alone? I’m afraid--”_

_“It’s alright,” you said softly, pressing a hand to the side of his face to turn him back when he cast his gaze aside. “I trust you. If you need something from me, just ask.”_

_He opened his mouth to speak, but Heimdall came up the steps behind you and gently tugged on your arm._

_“Y/N,” he said. “There’s something urgent you must know. ...Privately.”_

_“Of course,” you said. “Can we meet later, Skurge?”_

_He nodded quietly, stepping back from you. As you followed Heimdall back down the steps, Amora waved at Skurge from the doorway to your home; he cast a quick look at your back as he returned back up to your smirking cousin._

_“What’s going on?” you noticed Heimdall’s grim expression as he pulled you along to a thicker spot in the courtyard gardens. “What’s happened? Heimdall...is this a Y/N problem or a Daybreaker problem?”_

_He paused and frowned, “Both. Y/N, your father is missing...and so is the Tesseract.”_

_-_

Skurge wasn’t sure what to be thinking as he followed behind Hela and her troops across the bridge to the Observatory. Had she finally figured your secret? No, that wasn’t possible...she would have forced you along if she had. Even so...he had no idea how he was going to protect you, now.

He couldn’t fail this one simple thing. He couldn’t fail you again.

Hela strode confidently through the doors, but her expression soured when she realized something was out of place in the Observatory...something very, very detrimental to her plans.

“Skurge,” she snarled. “Where’s the sword?”

He had no idea, but his whole heart was racing. You couldn’t have made it down here before them, so this was certainly not your doing. Somehow, by some miracle, the sword Hofund was gone. The Bifrost would not open. Hela could not advance.

**Heimdall must still be in Asgard somewhere,** he thought with relief. Even if he couldn’t save you, there was someone else out there who could.

He even let himself smirk a little when he saw the graffiti on the wall that had Hela seething.

**Day will Break your hold on Asgard. --H**


	7. Chapter Six: Burned

Your groan of pain as Hela stormed to your cell and magically forced you against the wall was not as fake as you would have liked it to be.

“What do you make of this?!” she snarled, waving a hand. The words burned in the air just as they had on the observatory wall: **Day will Break your hold on Asgard.**

**Oh, Heimdall,** you thought, amused in spite of your current peril. **I’m touched that you’ve developed my flair for the dramatic...although, Sif is just as likely to have done the deed.**

“I don’t know,” you kept your cool in spite of the invisible pressure on your chest. Her interference with the Eternal Flame had already told the death goddess too much about you; you wouldn’t dare share anything with her about your alter ego. “I have no idea what that could possibly mean.”

“Don’t pretend, silly child. Daybreaker is your family’s weapon. Did dear Kustaa try to hide another child from me?” 

You couldn’t force the words to come out of your throat-- even if you did have a clever lie at hand, the force of her power kept crushing in harder on your bones. Air pushed out from your lungs in a strangled gasp, and she scoffed in frustration as she dropped you to the ground. You clutched at your clavicle, trying to regain your breath.

“I’ve seen Daybreaker fight,” Skurge said, and you weren’t sure if he was going to rat you out or just bloviate to placate the angry usurper queen. “I’ve seen him...at his most vicious.”

He was quiet as he spoke, and you knew, considering the memory that had pained you for so long, it was a quiet well-earned.

“Tell me about him,” Hela demanded. “Tell me everything.”

“He’s fast...stronger than his frame suggests. Packs a mean punch,” he looked at you, trying to be discrete. “I could never imagine a better fighter. Not even Thor.”

“Name him, Skurge. Tell me who to seek.”

He kept his eyes locked on you as he said, “Havardr. His name is Havardr Kustaason.”

In any other moment, you may have been flattered by the compliment. **Highest guardian.**

He trusted you. Even in this tense time of pain and anger, where you had done nothing but shut him out and lash against him and argue and give him nothing but cold dismissal...he trusted you far more than you deserved. 

Hela strode from the room with a purpose, leaving you recovering with Skurge standing still beyond the barrier of energy. It took you a moment to respond to him.

“You’ve covered for now, but it’s not going to last,” your pendant buzzed at your words. “She’s going to find out. You can’t defend me forever.” 

He set his shoulders hard, “No. But I can try.”

“It’s never going to fool her.”

“It did now."

“Because she’s angry, Skurge. You’ve seen what people do when they’re angry. Nothing can stop them. When her head’s on a little straighter, it’s going to be a lot harder to hide this.”

“Then we hold it out as long as we can,” he said firmly. “I’m not going to let her touch you.”

“Like you let Amora?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but fell silent. You were right, and he knew it.

“Just trust me for once.”

Skurge turned to leave you, but he knew his words were going to fall on deaf ears. After all that had happened, he was lucky you were speaking to him at all.

-

_ “You saw her with the Tesseract?!” your eyes were wide as you questioned Skurge. He’d come to you, Heimdall, and the Warriors as soon as he could, corralling the group of you into his father’s home. Halvar had been more than kind, offering you all warm drinks and space to convene. It was, after the information Skurge appeared to reveal, something that was likely needed. _

_ “Well...I saw what looked like the Tesseract,” he said. “She had something blue and glowy behind her back, and that’s the only glowy blue thing in Asgard. As far as I know.” _

_ “What did she say?” you pressed.  _

_ “Not much,” he weighed his words carefully. “She was...eager to run off. She said she was going to the palace.” _

_ “King Odin is likely her next target,” Heimdall mused. “The real question is why.” _

_ None of you could fathom an answer. Amora was slick and adaptable, but she was Asgardian, like any of you. To think that she had anything but Asgard’s best in mind...it shook your core. She was quarrelsome and petty, but she was no traitor. Looking at the people among you, none of them struck you as an usurper or a traitor or an enemy of the state...where she had gotten this supposed idea of uprising, you had no idea. _

_ “Who did she say she was studying under?” Sif suddenly jolted her head towards you. Your brow furrowed as you thought back to the earliest of letters that you had exchanged with your cousin. _

_ “Karnilla the Nornkeep,” you realized with a sigh. Of course. Of course your cousin had trained under the Mad Sorceress. No doubt she had picked up on the witch’s ways and likely saw this as some twisted way to gain Thor’s approval. _

_ “She must be stopped before she can reach King Odin,” Heimdall said seriously. “The Tesseract is bad enough...if she gains access to the other artifacts in that treasure room through Odin…. Asgard may be lost before Prince Thor ever gets the chance to return home.” _

_ “She’ll have all sorts of charms on the guards once she enters, and no doubt she’s done that, already,” Sif frowned. “How do you suggest we get past her new friends?” _

_ The five of you Heimdall invited looked between each other, clamoring for a solution. _

_ Skurge kept his gaze on his knees, working up the courage to speak. He’d never been in a danger room like this before; he was more than out of his element. He needed to either speak up, or lose everything. _

_ “I can sneak you in,” he said, keeping his voice low. _

_ You hushed the growing commotion around you to bring his statement to the forefront, “You can what?” _

_ “She...tells me things,” he said. “I know one door she doesn’t think matters. I can take you in there.” _

_ “Brilliant,” you grinned with determination. “We’ll head in that way, stop Amora, and get my father and the Tesseract back.” _

_ Skurge dipped his head dutifully, keeping his eyes down as he led Volstagg and Fandral ahead to scout the entrance. You wanted to follow, but Heimdall held your arm. _

_ “Y/N...do not allow your judgement to be clouded.” _

_ “I’m not jumping into things just because my father is in danger,” you insisted. “You know me. I’m better at detaching than that.” _

_ “He means your lover,” Sif added, and you felt your stomach knot shyly at the words. _

_ “Skurge is not my lover,” you said. “We’re friends.” _

_ “But you want more, and that’s dangerous.” _

_ “Who told you?!” _

_ Heimdall quirked his eyebrows, and you gasped in betrayal. _

_ “Heimdall!” _

_ “Normally, I go to you on difficult matters,” he said honestly. “That’s hard when they involve you.” _

_ “Skurge is a trusted sparring partner and friend,” you said with finality. “I’m not going to be distracted because he has pretty eyes!” _

_ Sif laughed under her breath, and she only gave you a mirthful look in response to your glare. _

_ “You said it, not me.” _

_ You huffed and expanded your pendant into Daybreaker, a gentle hum running along the haft of the pole.  _

_ “Are you ready?” Heimdall gave you a serious look. You pulled your hood over your head and nodded as your dress turned to armor and your eyes were masked in shadow. _

_ “Ready as I’ll ever be.” _

-

You had no idea why Hela would ask you to look upon what remained of your people, now. Your heart ached as you walked behind her into the square; there was not a face without anguish, no set of eyes without pain, no brow unmarred by fear. On your chest, you felt your pendant buzz, burning your family sigil into your chest as much as the pain of your people gripped your insides.

“People of Asgard,” Hela announced, “my loyal subjects. I’m told there’s a man called Daybreaker among you. One who would dare to question my rule. There is reason for me to believe he has hidden the key to the Bifrost from me. Turn him in now, and you will be spared.”

Your heart caught in your throat as a whisper rose among the masses before you. If you didn’t step forward...anyone Heimdall and Sif had worked so hard to save could be lost. No, you knew. All of it. If you spoke a word of the truth, all you had worked to support would be gone. The Nine Realms would be lost...but the loss of a single Asgardian would be far worse.

You chewed on your lip, eyes scanning the crowd. No sight of familiar orange eyes or a flash of dark hair. All the better to keep your only allies left alive, you figured, but no one would be able to keep the people safe. No one. No one but you.

Hela sighed as the Asgardian crowd before her stayed silent.

“Fine,” she waved a hand, and Skurge stepped forward, face twisting in anguish. “I’m sure you’re all aware of who this is.”

The executioner grew confused as one of Hela’s Helspawn soldiers nudged you forward. You didn’t budge your head to look at any specific citizen, just keeping your eyes cast on the horizon; no expectations in your eyes, only defiance and silent protest. You let out a cry of surprise as the creature knocked your knees in, forcing you to kneel on the ground. Hela handed Skurge the ornate ax she had made for him.

“Skurge, kill her.”

The bald soldier’s blood froze at the words. The ax was in his hands. He knew he had to swing and end your life, or not do her bidding and risk the death of you both. Skurge heaved the weapon over his shoulder, and he held his position as you looked up at him, (y/e/c) meeting hazel and sharing a silent message for the first time in a long time.

He saw your mouth move before he could even think.

“Do it,” you mouthed quietly, the words processing in his head through your resigned gaze, even over the murmurs of the crowd behind him. “Do it. It’s time, Skurge. Swing the ax. Just swing it.”

“What are you waiting for?” Hela glowered. “Must I do my executioner’s job for him?!”

He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“The mountains!” One brave Asgardian yelled breathlessly and hopelessly from the crowd. “There...there are people taking Asgardians into the mountains.”

The breath left your lungs as if for the last time.

“Clever Heimdall,” Hela smirked. “But not clever enough. Take the girl back to her cell, Skurge, then meet me at the throne room. We’re taking the war to the rebellion.”

You were vaguely aware of Skurge’s hands on your shoulders, helping you stand and guiding you back inside the palace. Numbness became you, and you didn’t have the voice to scold him until you had your cold bench to sit on.

“You should have killed me,” your voice was hard and unforgiving. “You...dammit, Skurge, I told you to kill me!”

“I wasn’t about to kill you, Y/N!” he barked back. “What is hope for Asgard without you?”

“Hope for Asgard stood a chance without me,” you said seriously. “The whereabouts of Heimdall and the others could have died with me.”

“But I can’t do it without you!” his voice was a defensive boom, but you didn’t look at him. “I could never hurt you! Not...I can’t...I cannot fail you again.”

You were silent at his words. 

“Y/N, please,” Skurge softened, leaning on the invisible wall between you both. “Give me something...give me a sign that...that you trust me to do whatever I can for you.”

Your voice was quivering, haunting as you spoke barely above a whisper, “Is that what you were thinking when you betrayed me?”

_ - _

_ Skurge quirked his eyebrows at the collapsing guard’s body, revealing you, Sif, and Heimdall behind it. _

_ “You three do quick work,” he remarked. You smirked, pulling your hood back as you rested Daybreaker on your shoulder. _

_ “It’s a gift,” you said proudly. “Where do you suggest we go from here?” _

_ “The Warriors are on the perimeter,” Skurge explained. “I say Heimdall and Sif stay here and watch the door while you and I storm Amora’s stronghold in the throne room.” _

_ Heimdall nodded, “Call for me if you need eyes on any other part of the city.”  _

_ “We will,” you led the way through the door, keeping your halberd at the ready, and Skurge stayed close behind. The halls were bereft of security, but you weren’t surprised; Amora was a prideful woman. Her underestimation of you would surely be her downfall. _

_ “This will not be easy,” you warned Skurge. “I know my cousin. She’ll have all kinds of traps for us in the throne room.” _

_ “I’d expect nothing less from her,” he mused. The doors to the throne room were closed, but not locked. You kicked them open, holding your halberd in a challenging stance. _

_ “Amora, cease and desist,” you demanded. “Return my father and the Tesseract, and King Odin.” _

_ Your cousin was lounging on the throne, like she’d already won the battle. Her slender legs swung leisurely over the arm of the chair, and the laugh she gave you was mirthful, but dark and condescending. _

_ “Oh, cousin,” she shook her head, “and sweet Skurge? I expected more from the both of you. You seemed like the types to recognize a future queen when you saw one. I suppose I was wrong. No matter.” With a wave of her hand, several columns in the throne room became stone golems.  _

_ You leapt into action with Skurge at your side, and you smiled at his more refined attacks. He was a slow learner, that was certain, but when he had picked up your more precise strikes, he appeared to have mastered them fully. You used your size to your advantage against the golems, sticking Daybreaker into their bodies and swinging kicks and strikes to cut them down to size. _

_ “This is nearly like Vanaheim, don’t you agree?” you quipped, running up an arch and bringing a heated Daybreaker down through a golem. Skurge ducked as you blasted the arm off another one. _

_ “You and I remember Vanaheim very differently!” _

_ “Because I recall saving you, rather dramatically?” you laughed. Even if you weren’t sparring, and you were on the same side, it felt no different from those days in the hidden alcove. You could have fought beside him forever, you mused as you blasted another golem back.  _

_ “Skurge, on my mark!” you called, running towards him. He knelt to catch your foot and vaulted you into the air, giving you height enough to perform a rather impressive blade of light that cut through the last of the three golems at once. You landed by one of the windows, sweating and wiping your brow as you recharged your tiredness with the filtered sunlight. _

_ “You were saying, cousin?” _

_ You barely had time to finish your sentence, turning towards a cloud of gravel from one of the fallen golem. You gripped Daybreaker tight in your one hand as you scrambled to wipe the grit from your eyes; one moment of weakness against Amora, and your fight would be lost. _

_ You were surprised upon clearing your vision to see Skurge poised to attack as Amora smirked next to him. _

_ “Skurge...wait!” _

_ You barely even noticed his apologetic mumble as he swung the ax hard, and the blade’s swipe combined with the force of his attack sent you flying through the stained glass. _

_ You didn’t know if you screamed or not. Everything was numb and everything was moving in slow motion, a ringing in your ears robbing you of your hearing. You knew, of course, that there was something searing across your abdomen; your hands and battle garb were slicked with red. There was an infinite sensation of sharp pricking that ran all the way from your spine to the back of your head. Your face felt wet, but you didn’t know if it was blood or tears anymore. A thin, golden light shone in your veins as your body fought to remain conscious, but even though your head and body slammed into the stone of the street far below the palace, you still felt yourself falling, falling, falling into a black and lonely abyss. _

_ The last thing you remembered seeing was Amora tracing along Skurge’s chest, the man’s face stony and unreadable. _

_ When Fandral approached Heimdall some time later, the guardian of the Bifrost was standing by one of the doors in your home, looking contemplative and melancholy. _

_ “How is she?” _

_ “She wakes now,” Heimdall said. “Sif took it upon herself to be there to inform her.” _

_ “How much do you think she’ll remember?” Fandral frowned behind him.  _

_ “If I had my way, none of it.” _

_ “But-” _

_ “You know her, Fandral,” Heimdall gave the younger warrior a knowing look. “Y/N never forgets anything, certainly not a slight against her.” _

_ Fandral’s chuckle was tainted with the cynicism of the whole situation. Heimdall was right, of course. _

_ “Did you know, at all? That he might-” _

_ “I knew he was getting close with the Enchantress,” the guardian sighed, seeming regretful, “but I did not know enough. He flew under all of our suspicions. None of us were wise enough to think ill of him.” _

_ “This wound...it isn’t just skin-deep, I assume.” _

_ Heimdall felt his heart grow heavy as he heard murmurs behind the door, “It was never fated to be just a surface wound.” _

_ Fandral heaved his shoulders and turned back down the hall to speak to the others, and Heimdall leaned against the wall. It would be wrong to intrude on you, now...not before Sif confirmed to you that what had happened was true. _

_ He withered away from the door as a larger burst of flame than he’d even seen billowed from under the door, accompanied by a pained cry in the saddest, angriest, emptiest sound he’d ever heard you make, accompanied by a deep sob. _

_**“TRAITOR!!!!!!”** _


	8. Chapter Seven: Fire and Fury

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter with paralleling flashbacks! Thank you so much for your continued support!

_ You kept your eyes plastered to the ground as Heimdall explained the new plan of action to the small band consisting of you and the Warriors and Sif. You, after all, weren’t really listening-- your veins were red-orange and white-hot as you pressed your nails into your palms. _

_**“You shouldn’t have to feel alone. I’d never want you to feel alone in anything.”** _

_**That lying bastard.** _

_ “Y/N.” _

_ You clenched your fist at the memories, hoping the motion would squeeze them out of your head forever. Maybe then, they’d hurt less. _

_ “Y/N!” _

_ You turned your head to see everyone staring at you; you’d had no idea, but the tips of your hair had started to turn to flame in your anger. _

_ “I’m listening,” you lied. _

_ Heimdall pressed his lips together for a moment before he continued, “This amulet,” he held up the charm in question, glowing blue as it moved in the light, “has the ability to open a portal to the Realm of Silence. Amora will have no power there; once she is inside, we seal it.” _

_ “Good,” you stood up. “When do we storm the palace?” _

_ “Y/N, I must advise you not to act in anger,” he warned. “Fear and discontent makes people do awful things.” _

_ “Not as awful as what he did to me,” you snarled, and the entire room shrunk back at your unfamiliar venom. This was not playful, confident banter. This was a blistering rage and bitterness that had never been present before in you, like the cut into your flesh had torn out your good nature. _

_ Heimdall decided that if you were not going to cooperate with his pleas for a peaceful end, there was no hope to control you; you had truly become a vengeful fire of Hel. _

_ “Then we seek entrance to the palace at dawn, tomorrow.” _

_ “We enter the palace together,” you insisted, “but I take the throne room, alone. The bastard and the bitch are mine.” _

_ No one spoke to correct you. No one dared get in your way. _

_ You were out for blood, now, and that was that. _

-

Skurge looked upon you with anguish. Not that you saw; you were too busy examining the floor.

“What I did...I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” he said. “I don’t deserve anyone’s. But I’m trying. I’m trying to make things right.”

“You nearly killed me!” you bellowed. “That’s murder, Skurge!”

“I know!”

“Then why repent if you know you’re lost?!”

“Because I don’t want to be!”

You frowned but didn’t speak, waiting to see what he would say next.

His frame sank as he explained, “What I did was...unforgivable. I can’t even express to you how awful I felt about it. I was in a bad place, and I made a mistake. If our world is going to go to Hel, then all I want is to earn your forgiveness however I can.”

“Actions speak louder than words, Skurge,” you dismissed. “Nothing you’ve done has proven to me that-”

“Your friends may be banished, but I never even had a say in any of that,” he said, voice firm and serious. “Your dad may be dead, but I wasn’t the one swinging the blade. Hela may have you imprisoned, but I’ve done nothing but try to keep you safe as best I can. Don’t tell me I have to die to earn your forgiveness, because I know how you operate-- if I died, you would never forgive yourself.”

You wanted to shout, you wanted to argue, you wanted to fight his words, but you couldn’t. You just couldn’t.

You couldn’t let anyone else die on your watch, and especially not him.

“You can’t be mad forever, Y/N,” he said quietly. “No one can be mad forever.”

“You don’t know how much you hurt me, do you?” you sounded like a child. “It didn’t just hurt physically. You hurt my heart.”

If you had actually looked at him, you might have seen how hard he was trying not to cry. 

“I trusted you with secrets I never told anyone,” you recounted. “I told you lots of things...because I thought you would be there for me.”

“And I should have been,” he pleaded. “I’m sorry.” 

“I said I told you lots of things,” you said. “I didn’t tell you everything, though I suppose Amora told you whatever’s left.”

He grew confused, “No...no, actually, she generally tried to avoid talking about you when she wasn’t plotting your untimely demise.”

You weren’t all that surprised, really, but you made no noise, hoping he would drop the matter altogether.

“...Tell me what?”

Evidently not.

“She never told you...you didn’t even hear when….”

“You knocked me flat on my arse, Y/N,” he admitted. “It’s not like I was the most oriented I’d ever been while you were squaring up with the she-wolf in almost no clothing.” 

You shifted nervously. You had been so apprehensive about saying it before...what made it worth anything now?

“She never told you...I can’t believe she never told you. It just seemed like she always knew.”

“Y/N,” he softened, hoping to coax your truth out. “Knew what?”

-

_ Skurge hadn’t stopped sweating since you fell through that window. Even as Amora lounged on the throne, his lips were pressed together, and he couldn’t stop fiddling with his fingers. _

_ “What’s bothering you now?” Amora asked, though she didn’t lift her fingers from her neatly-manicured nails. _

_ “I...I can’t get the last few days out of my mind,” he admitted. “That didn’t feel right. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m- I’m her friend, dammit, I--” _

_ “Your conscience is so attractive,” Amora traced along the design on his pauldron. “I really admire that bleeding heart of yours, but this is better, trust me. Once everything is set in place, we can be together for as long as we like, and you won’t have to worry about her, anymore.” _

_ Skurge had to admit, forever with Amora was tempting. She moved closer, and his heart swelled as he thought he’d finally earned her affections, but he sank on the inside when she merely patted his cheek like he was still a child. _

_ “Oh?” Amora straightened her posture and looked toward the courtyard window. “There seems to be some kind of commotion out there. Skurge, be a lamb and go quell those troublesome pests.”  _

_ He steeled his nerves and made toward the throne room doors, but a large light fixture dropped just before him. _

_ “The bloody-- !” he lurched back just in time to avoid being crushed; Amora was suddenly much more alert. _

_ “What was that?” _

_ With a rush of red-orange light, all the windows and doors slammed shut. _

_ “Skurge!” Amora barked, “Find who is doing this and eliminate them!” _

_ Both of them froze as you dropped from the ceiling, eyes and veins gleaming red as Heimdall’s amulet hung around your neck. _

_ “You have no idea what you’ve done,” you practically growled. Heat radiated off your body, and the tip of Daybreaker was glowing as if it had just come out of a kiln. _

_ Amora was clearly shaken, but she did her best to keep composed. _

_ “I’m glad you’re well, cousin,” she said simply. “How’s that scar?” _

_ A primal noise escaped from your throat as you swung in Amora’s direction, but Skurge brought up his ax to block your swipe. _

_ “Skurge,” you warned dangerously. “You don’t want to do this. You’ve already crossed a line.” _

_ “I know,” he said seriously. “I’m trying to keep you from crossing one, too.” _

_ You whirled Daybreaker back around, hoping to strike him in the side, but he moved just in time as Amora returned to her wrongful seat on the throne. _

_ “Are you calling me a traitor?” _

_ “Y/N, no, I-” _

_ “Because you’re a fool,” you made no move to cease your strikes, but he matched you blow for blow. “If you think I’d ever pull the treachery that you did, you’re an absolute fool.” _

_ It was a macabre dance, more twisted than your training sessions. You two had shared the lead before; now, neither of you gave an inch. No more banter, no more friendly jabs, no more teasing swipes. As deadly as you made each of your attacks, he was just as swift with his defense. He had learned your speed, and you had learned his ferocity. _

_ “You’ve put the entire kingdom in danger,” you snarled, showing no sign of slowing down as the light in your veins burned darker and darker, “you betrayed your king, you betrayed me, all for what? Because you saw something shiny?” _

_ This triggered an almost angry response from him as he moved on the offensive, “Because Amora loves me! She treats me as an equal and sees me as more than just a charity case!” _

_ “You really are a fool,” you quickly regained the upper hand as you hooked Daybreaker under the curve of his ax, flinging it away from him. “Amora doesn’t love anyone but herself, and you fell for her every trap.” With finality, you slammed the blunt end of Daybreaker into him, sending him skidding face-down across the floor.  _

_ “Well done, cousin,” you turned back to facing Amora, who was standing and summoning green energy at her hands. “Who would have thought you were such a capable warrior? Aunt Ilona would be proud...unless, of course, she could see the monster you’ve become carrying her noble illness.” _

_ Without a thought, you leapt at her, rebounding hard into the ground off her energy shield. _

_ “How dare you speak of Mother,” you roared, dodging her projectiles with nimble ease, “how dare you touch my father, and how dare you manipulate Skurge!”  _

_ The way her face changed at your last statement made your stomach lurch. A grin spread across her face as she ensnared you in energy and dangled you in front of her, “What’s this, cousin? Is this love? Don’t tell me you’ve changed that much. Do you love him? My, how the tables have turned. The unconquered Lady of Light falls for a gullible half-breed!” She didn’t even seem to notice the way you had begun to simmer. “When Thor returns, he will call me his wife and queen, and your precious Skurge will bow only to me as I grind your bones into dust.” _

_ In a burst of flame, you broke free of her magic and summoned Daybreaker back to your hands, fire spouting from your fingertips. _

_ “You’re a cruel madwoman...you dare harm my family...deceive my love...usurp my kingdom with your lies and trickery,” you smoldered in your anger, “I should kill you where you stand.”  _

_ Her green eyes were wide in fearful awe at your power, but instead of burning her to ash, you channeled your energy into Heimdall’s amulet and opened a gleaming blue portal to a colorless land. _

_ “Be thankful someone does not want me to cross that line.” _

_ You slammed the blade of Daybreaker at the ground, the searing force of your motion pushing Amora back into the portal, which sealed with a small pop. _

_ “Y/N!” _

_ The voice of Skurge pulled you back from your fury, and your clothes melted into a deep red dress. You didn’t turn of your own volition to face him. _

_ “Y/N, are you alright?”  _

_ In an instant, it had seemed, your demeanor had gone from crackling with fury to frozen and closed-off. _

_ “You betrayed me,” you said simply. “She manipulated you, and you betrayed me.” _

_ A sinking feeling took hold in Skurge’s gut. _

_ “I…” he had no way to explain himself. That was exactly what had appeared to have happened. “I...Y/N, I’m…” _

_ “I trusted you, and you betrayed me.” _

_ He took your hand, hoping you would turn and look at him. You ignored the pleasant tingling in your fingers and wrenched your hand away. _

_ “Don’t even,” you whirled around to face him, hands folded and clenched in front of you, and the tears sitting in your eyes broke his heart. “You would accuse me of not accepting you as you are, you would seek to hurt me over a lie from my cousin’s mouth of which I cannot know what.” _

_ Skurge couldn’t speak. He couldn’t defend a word he’d said to you or a thing he’d done. All he could do was look at you with sad hazel eyes and hope you’d be able to read his mind. _

_ “Please, I...let me fix this. I can fix this. Let me make it better for you. Tell me what to do to make it better. Please, I’m sorry.” _

_ Your heart was screaming out at his desperate plea and anguished expression. You wanted so badly to take his hand back, to hold his face, to promise it was going to be okay. _

_ But no. Heimdall’s warning was right. _

_ You had let your emotions get the best of you. You could not allow that to happen again, and there was only one way you could ensure that. _

_ “Sorry doesn’t fix what you did,” you covered your demeanor in as much icy rage as you could. “You will never be able to fix what you did. All your actions speak louder than your words. I said I would never judge you based on who you are. I still believe you don’t deserve to be judged for that. However, I will absolutely hold you accountable for what you do. And you broke every bit of trust I had in you.” _

_ You turned away hard to cover the pesky emotions bubbling in your eyes, “Now, I’m going to get my father, return the Tesseract, and then...and then...then I think it’s best that we don’t see each other again.” _

_ Then that was it. You’d make your defenses as thick as possible. If he got in again...if he ever got in again, who knew what would happen to you? Quiet anger would be your cloak, silent fury would be your armor.  _

_ And as you built your walls back up, someone else had the misfortune of realizing he had fallen in love as you were walking away. _

-

You weren’t looking at him anymore, but he was gaping at you. He didn’t know what he could say to that admission. 

Should he say it?

Should he let you be?

What if it was too much, now?

What if something happened?

What if he made it worse?

“Y/N…”

“You don’t have to say anything,” your shoulders sunk. “She won, didn’t she? Amora won. She won you. I never had a chance when she walked in. I saw the way you looked at her. It was over then, and it’s still over now. It is over, isn’t it? Let it be over. Just let it be over.”

Something alight in his eyes again, Skurge moved to finally open the barrier between the both of you, but a jarring noise stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Skurge!” Hela barked, “We’re going after the rebels! Prepare to fight for your queen!”

He looked at you with sad hazel eyes. You made no sign of having heard her. 

Unable to do anything without angering the all-powerful death goddess at the top of the stairs, he began dragging himself up the steps and away from you, certain of only one thing.

He had failed you completely, and he could not allow himself to do so again.


	9. Chapter Eight: All For Love...

The silence in the dungeon was deafening.

No more secrets. No more dancing around things. No more misunderstandings. No more….

Oh yes, he’d certainly have left you behind, by now. Skurge wasn’t coming back for you; you were sure of that, now. If he hadn’t loved you before, he certainly wouldn’t after that shabby excuse for a confession.

No, there was nothing left to do now but fight your damn way out.

You reached out with your mind, hoping to get a signal to someone...anyone who could help. Even if it wasn’t Heimdall that you reached, anything would be better than nothing.

To your relief, something actually went your way for once.

_“Daybreaker,”_ Heimdall nodded. Your jaw dropped at what you could see through their eyes.

Hundreds of them. Hundreds of thousands of Asgardians huddled in the mountain caverns where the old kings had been laid to rest. Mothers huddling their children. Lovers quaking in each others’ arms, as though they may not live to see one another past that moment.

This was the suffering of your people. This was the suffering you had been lying helpless to prevent.

A newfound fire, brighter than before, lit up in your heart as you realized this was the true strength of Asgard, and it was now under the protection of you, the true keeper of the Bifrost, and the strongest, most stubborn, and most kindly woman you’d ever met.

Sif, for the first time, looked as though she might cry when she looked at you.

_“Our newer refugees told me of the execution ceremony,”_ she said somberly. _“I...I thought you would have...I figured that bastard….”_

“I’m still here, Sif,” you smiled. “He- he refused to swing the ax. He almost didn’t do it.”

_“That’s more than I would have given him, based on certain behavioral patterns of his,”_ she seemed genuinely surprised.

Something soft fluttered inside you, “I suppose some people are better at letting things go than others.”

Heimdall gently stepped in on your reunion, _“The people know you are alive, Y/N. They have asked to know what you think from where you stand as...as the closest thing they have to a leader until Prince Thor is able to make it back.”_

“I’m sorry, what?!” you blinked, “Thor’s bloody alive?!?”

_“Apparently,”_ Sif said dryly. _“Who would have thought that the psychotic evil death goddess would lie to the entirety of the Asgardian public?”_

“That’s...alright, that’s fair.”

Heimdall gently gestured towards the crowd, _“They are waiting...will you speak as Daybreaker, instead?”_

You thumbed over your pendant, wondering if it would point you to the right decision as it had so many times before. Nothing. Your brow furrowed at the inactivity of the usually (for lack of a better term) outspoken artifact. This one time when you may need a sign the most, the one thing you had been able to put your faith in so many times before was dead silent.

“No,” you said, certain of what you had to do, “I will address them as myself.”

Both of your friends parted the way for you, and all eyes turned to you as you stepped forward.

You had never made a public statement before. You had no idea what you were doing.

You decided to do what Daybreaker had made it so easy to do: speak from the heart with power, and bring forth a wave of confidence.

“People of Asgard,” you started slowly, taking a moment to find your voice, “when Prince Thor left to search for King Odin, he tasked my father and I with stabilizing the kingdom. Hela has made that goal...a little bit complicated. I had no way to stop it, even if I had known or had been able to try. I apologize for how blindsided we were, and if I could bring back all the remarkable men and women and citizens of our great kingdom that we have lost already, I would exchange my life for theirs in a heartbeat.

“My father is dead. Kustaa Daybreaker--” you stopped for a moment to regain yourself as your suppressed grief caught in your throat. You had not had a moment to think on what saying the words aloud would mean, “...Kustaa Daybreaker was among the finest men this city had to offer. And he died...he died...he….”

Your breath caught in your throat at the sight of your father, tinged with a warm light, standing at the far end of the mountain cavern.

Time slowed to a standstill as he walked towards you.

_ “Hello, my daughter.” _

When he stood before you, arms outstretched as though he had never been gone, all your inhibitions disappeared, and you collapsed into your father’s arms like a child, wracked with sobs.

“Father!” you cried out as he cradled your head, hot tears streaming down your cheeks and dripping on his stately robes, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I should have gone-- I should have listened-- I didn’t-- I can’t-- I can’t-- I tried to protect them, but I can’t…. I’ve...I’ve failed you…. I’ve failed everyone….”

You expected him to be furious, but when you looked up, he was smiling just as he had when you finally opened your eyes as a baby.

_“You haven’t failed, my child. Only struggled along your journey. More than I would have liked...but then, neither of us know where these sorts of things are meant to lead,”_ he said.

You measured your words carefully, keeping your eyes away from your father’s face, “Father...I have deceived you.”

_ “How so?” _

A sigh of defeat escaped you, “You have always insisted that there is no Daybreaker anymore...well, there is. I-”

_“I knew,”_ he nodded. _“Eventually, a man knows his own daughter too well to not know some things about her.”_

“How- When-”

_“Could you have gotten past Amora’s magic to the king and I on your sheer stubbornness alone? Possibly,”_ he chuckled a little, _“but you would have needed the help of quite a bit of firepower to do it.”_

You couldn’t help choking out a bittersweet laugh at his levity, even in death. Soon, though, you sobered again, “I’ve failed Asgard. I couldn’t protect them, not like this. I wish I could have died with you...things would have been better if I died with you.”

_“For all the wonderful skills you had, my husband,”_ a beautiful, beautiful woman you’d seen only in dreams smiled as she sat beside your father, _“I can’t believe you raised my daughter to feel that death was the only way to fix things.”_

You were speechless. Your eyes...your hair...she had them all, and she was as radiant as you imagined her to be.

“Mother,” you breathed out, barely able to muster the strength for the simple word you’d never gotten to call anyone in your life.

_“It’s wonderful to finally meet you,”_ she held your face, and you wondered if it would have felt different if she had been a physical shape. _“I’m sorry I never got to meet you before now. I’m sorry I didn’t get to watch you grow into who you are now.”_

“It wasn’t your fault,” you mumbled. “I’m a bloody mess, anyway. I got in over my head, shoved everyone away, and now I’ve got nothing. I can’t do this. I can’t do it. I’m not ready.”

Your mother and father looked between each other in a way you thought you once knew, and you almost wanted to huff at their silent exchange; perhaps once, it might have been common.

“What?” you frowned, “What’s that look for?”

_“Are you the Lady of Perfectly Trained Leadership and Purity and Giving Good Speeches?”_ your father asked, smirking.

“No!” you glared, but there was no malice behind it, “That’s my point! How can I-” Something clicked inside you when you realized they were both smiling. “...Oh.”

_“You’ve had all the ingredients for greatness, child,”_ your mother smiled. _“But you’ve forgotten why we fight for our people. Spite is a powerful passion, I’ll admit...but not one that will last. You know what you need to save our people. You need only to remember what to do with it.”_

Just like that, with your mother’s warm lips on your head, all their light dissipated, and you were left standing in a room of murmuring Asgardians, waiting to see what you would say next.

She was right, of course. Your mother barely knew you (at least as far as you could discern), and she was completely right about you. You knew exactly how to proceed; you just needed to warm that part of you back up again.

“...My father is dead,” you found your voice, stronger and clearer than before. “But he will not die in vain. None of them will have. We have each other, still. As we speak, Prince Thor is returning to Asgard to save us from the goddess Hela. Until then, though, we must hold on to hope and each other. We are not a place. We are a people. A strong, proud, resilient people who have survived far worse than one angry and lost goddess who wants to tear people apart in her name. Her power is in fear and doubt, and only hope and love will protect us now.”

_“Y/N!”_ Sif barked suddenly, grabbing everyone’s attention. _“Heimdall says they’re coming. They’re almost here.”_

You frowned and bowed your head in thought as a whisper of worry rose among the crowd. 

“Well, they’re not here yet, are they?” you boomed suddenly, bolstered by your newfound determination. “Stick together, listen to Heimdall and Sif. Keep each other safe, and head toward the Bifrost if at all possible.”

The room quieted under your authoritative tone.

“If we stick together...if we don’t allow them to tear us apart, then we can make it through this as one united people,” you swallowed, letting yourself only be slightly rattled at the truth and weight in your next statement. “I may not be able to make it out with you, and if not...then remember we are Asgard, and we are one. And no one can take that from you unless you let them.”

_“For Asgard,”_ Sif nodded at you.

_**“For Asgard!”** _

You beamed as the crowd roared the call to arms back at you, gathering stones and sticks and the weapons they had been able to carry out on their backs, keeping their children and families and loves close as Sif began to lead small groups out a secret door you’d never known existed.

_“You should be prepared at the palace, Y/N,”_ Heimdall advised. _“If Hela learns we are headed towards the Bifrost, you will need to be prepared.”_

“I will,” you nodded. “Just...let me leave something for her here.”

He smiled at the return of your spirit as you gestured a wave of fire at the nearest wall, before he sent your mind reeling back to your body.

-

Skurge had a million thoughts running through his head as he followed behind Hela up the rocky mountain range of the Asgardian woods. What should he have said to you? Could he have said anything at this point? Would Hela spare you, like she’d promised, if all these people were truly in the mountains like the peasants had suggested? Would she think you had known and didn’t tell her? Actually, that last part was true...he was too worried for you to separate the ‘what ifs’ from the actual deceptions toward his malevolent new employer.

“This is it,” Hela smirked at the large, beautifully carved stone as she and the army came to a halt. “There’s no other way in or out. We’ve got them all. They’re all right here. Executioner!”

Skurge braced himself before he swung his ax hard at the ancient stone. He didn’t count how many times; it would have pained him to have to tell his father he had destroyed such intricate work that he had likely done. When the rock fell through, he had to contain a gasp.

No one. There was no one. Only dust and decay and bones, and a smaller hole broken through the other side...facing the city.

“You’ve got to be…” Hela grumbled, looking around. There was no sign of life in the entire tomb. If there had been anyone there, they were gone now. The death goddess stormed up to the hole, blood boiling at the sight before her.

There was an ant-like clump of refugees flooding the gates to the city, and a red, black, and gold ship was flying into Asgardian airspace.

“NO!” she roared.

She could already feel a threatening pounding from the throne room floor that made anger begin to bubble up in her chest.

“Er, Hela, your queenliness lady…” Skurge waved her over to a wall. “You might want to see this.”

The goddess was buzzing with fury, but her executioner was bubbling with happiness and pride that he kept hidden under a steely half-smile at the message smoldering in the stone, sitting underneath a bright brand of the Daybreaker sigil.

**_This_ is what real power looks like, bitch. --D**

The death goddess slashed the message away in a claw of green flame.

“I will deal with my dear brother,” she snarled. “And you will kill the girl.”

Skurge nodded, but he wasn’t really listening. He was too busy dealing with the flutter in his chest.

-

You steeled yourself as you tapped at your pendant again. It buzzed under your touch and expanded into your halberd.

“Yes, I know you’ve been restless,” you said sternly, “we’re going to war. Calm down. The fight’s not over yet.”

With a glimmering wave, you shifted into your armor under your cloak and allowed the billowing length to recede. You couldn’t have yourself getting caught on anything. Not when it could mean the difference between victory and loss.

Your ears perked at the sound of the dungeon door opening.

“I hear it,” you nodded quietly at the hum of warning from the weapon in your hands. “When they open the cell. Be ready.”

You stood back, poised to swipe, and you lunged with a roar as the light wall dissipated.

“Hey! I know you’ve been of the mind to hit me, but can you maybe not knock me on my arse now?!”

Your brow furrowed at your would-be victim, who had lightly side-stepped your attempted attack.

“Skurge?!” you sputtered, “What the bloody hell are you doing down here?!”

“Well, technically, I’m supposed to be chopping your head off, but Hela’s occupied right now.”

You placed a hand on your hip, “Oh, well, thanks for warning me that you’ll be executing me.”

“Dammit, that’s not what I’m--” he took a deep breath, “I’m here to rescue you.”

You were floored.

“Sorry, what?” you blinked.

“I told you, Hela’s occupied,” Skurge moved to a panel on the wall and pulled it open. “That gives you an opening to run to the Bifrost and escape with the rest of the refugees.”

“Skurge- You- Hold on,” you softened. “You do realize the last time you said you were going to help me like this, you pushed me out a window.”

“Good thing there are no windows on the bridge.”

“Skurge,” you said gently, “if I disappear like this, she’ll kill you. You know that.”

“Well,” he took in a breath, “you did say I’d have to die to redeem myself.”

You opened your mouth to tell him you had been wrong, tell him you were sorry, tell him you wanted to fix things now, but he wouldn’t let you finish.

“Besides, she can’t be sure I let you escape. Not if she doesn’t see you leaving. If things go south, I’m going to try to escape with you...but I don’t know if it’ll come to that. It’s more important that you get away than I do.”

“Skurge--”

“Just get moving. Don’t know how long she’ll be busy up in there,” he took both your hands, rubbing his thumbs over them like it may be the last time he saw you. “Stay safe. Be careful. ...And I love you.”

In a move that completely blindsided you, he took one of his hands back to cup your face and brought his lips down to yours. You closed your eyes at the friction of his facial hair against your chin, the tender pressure of his lips, and if you had your way, you could have floated off in the feeling forever, too entranced to react for this moment you had thought about once or twice but hadn’t had faith in for a long while.

And, just like everything else in your life, it was all too short.

He pulled away and gave your hand a firm squeeze before he headed back up the dungeon stairs, leaving you dazed and wondering how you hadn’t figured out his feelings before.

Your eyes followed his figure all the way until he was too far away to see anymore, not knowing if you would have the chance to reciprocate his actions.


	10. Chapter Nine: ...And Love For All

Skurge is almost kind of impressed when he arrives on the Rainbow Bridge. Not that the Asgardians are fighting back, of course-- there’s no reason for him to expect them not to-- but that it’s all so close. All the warriors of Asgard are either incapacitated or dead, save for Heimdall, that he can see. Surely you’d known all along where they were and that they were safe, or else they wouldn’t be here. 

If only he could see you.

It was foolish of him to think you’d run for the Bifrost guns blazing.

(Actually, it wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility, knowing you.)

You, however, weren’t stupid. You had seen what Hela was capable of, and you wouldn’t be risking your skin and everyone else’s to give her one last shove it before escaping. He knew that much of you. This is why he’s wary that he hasn’t seen your white cloak flutter through the crowd, yet, but he trusts you. He trusts you. He knows that, no matter what happens, you’ll find a way.

This is what he’s thinking as Thor arrives on the bridge, with locks chopped away and a gaping hole in his face and skin crackling with lightning, and as a larger ship comes to hover just so over the bridge.

“Your savior is here!!!”

Yes, _their_ savior might be...but where was _his_?

-

You had come back down to reality rather quickly at the great rumbling of the entire palace around you. No, you couldn’t stay on Cloud Nine forever, and you didn’t wish to.

But he’d kissed you.

He loved you.

What were you to say to that?

Shaking your head to clear your thoughts of rough lips and strong hands, you refocused on your goal. Hela was likely chasing the refugees to keep them from escaping. If Thor was here-- was he here?-- he would be trying to keep her busy, but if he’d lost to her before, he could lose again. And Odin only knows if they’d be able to drive her out of the city, or if it would be Hela triumphant with her soldiers of the dead and that big room a few corridors down full of treasures and weapons and...and….

Oh, gods, you couldn’t leave until you knew you could save some. Not with Hela knowing what she did about it.

“Y/N!”

You’re pulled from your thoughts by Sif’s voice, running in from the side escape that Skurge had opened for you. She wraps you in a tight hug; it’s the first time you two have physically been together in a long time, and you can’t help returning the embrace even in the fragile moment for your entire people.

“Sif,” you sighed. “Thank the gods. I- What’s happening out there? How is it? Is everyone on their way through? Where’s Hela?”

“Well, I don’t know who blasted the entire damn castle with lightning, but I’m guessing it’s Thor, because he’s back,” she explained quickly. “His eye’s missing, so that’s neat, too.”

“How the fuck did he lose an eye?!”

“It gets better,” Sif said. “Loki just brought in this entire ship of otherworldly soldiers, and they’re helping the refugees onto their ship so we can get the hell out of here!”

“Loki?!” your voice shot up an octave. “Being helpful? Gods, it really is the end of the bloody world.”

“Right?” she tugged at your arm, “Anyway, we’ve got to get moving!”

You didn’t budge. You couldn’t. There was still some way this could go horribly wrong, and if it was on you...if you weren’t careful, you might just lose your mind.

An idea formulated in your head, and you stayed silent as you questioned whether or not you knew him well enough to be able to gauge how he’d react.

“Y/N?”

Without hesitating, you shoved what she’d need in her hands.

“Take this, I’ll get out there as soon as I can...there’s something I have to go get!”

Sif watched in confusion as you ran off, wondering what in the nine hells you could possibly need in there.

-

Was Skurge aware that things were going south? Yes, and rather acutely aware. Considering how often things flew over his head, he was rather glad this was what he noticed.

He didn’t remember Prince Thor having such potent control of lightning, at least not without his hammer. Perhaps the famed weapon was sailing towards Asgard from wherever far away land he’d been cast to? He had no clue. It wasn’t like he was privy to the secrets of the noble class...not like you were.

And where were you? Had you been lost in the crush of Hela’s army crashing into the Asgardian rebels? His heart grew heavy at the thought that you might be dead...that all his efforts to save you had run to waste...that he may have failed you again.

_No,_ he reasoned with himself. _If Y/N goes out, it’ll be with a bang. She’s not gone. Not yet._

Yes, that had to be it. Perhaps he’d lost sight of you in the throngs of Asgardians pouring onto the great ship brought by Loki. You were fast and careful; of course you could have gotten away unnoticed.

Suddenly, though, he spotted a familiar flash of white fabric among the crowd. His heart caught; it was your cloak! Unmistakable, especially to him. 

He briefly looked back at the palace to ensure Hela was not nearing the flashpoint of the struggle. No, he couldn’t see her surging in from the palace.

There was nothing from the palace. No one was left in the city.

If he moved now, he could run.

Snatching a swath of fabric off a fallen warrior of the dead, Skurge cloaked himself as best he could and began to bob with the fleeing wave of Asgardians, doing his best to keep that flutter of white in his vision.

_Damn this armor_ , he cursed himself inside his mind. If he was ten pounds lighter, it would be ten times sooner that he could reach you.

He kept his eyes down and settled as he entered the craft, and he noticed you had stopped to speak to Heimdall. Of course you had. You undoubtedly helped mastermind this escape; how clever you were! Skurge weaved his way through with muttered apologies, hoping to be if not the first to greet you, than the immediate next.

Something sick began to rise in his stomach when the lady who pulled down the pristine white hood was not you, but Lady Sif.

“And you haven’t seen her at all?” Heimdall was asking tersely.

“I told you, she gave me this damn thing and ran off!” Sif huffed. “She didn’t tell me anything! I thought she’d gone to you!”

Every single word made his heart decay.

“I’ve heard nothing. I can’t see her. Something is clouding me.”

“Has anybody seen Lady Y/N?!”

You were gone, he thought bitterly. He’d left you alone, and you were gone, dead or wounded or worse. The ship was pulling higher and higher from the bridge, and you were nowhere to be found.

_ I never should have left her. I could have saved her. Gods, I could have saved her…. _

The whole ship quaked under him, and that was his second sign that everything was falling apart.

Even if Hela hadn’t arrived before, she certainly had, now. A snarl was evident on her lips, and there was death in her eyes as she stuck the ship with enormous blades, watching with a sick and twisted pleasure as her sepulchre soldiers began working their way up to the ship.

A righteous rage he’d never felt before bubbled up in his chest.

This escape...this freedom of suffering for your shared people was all you’d ever wanted, and, dammit, he was going to do one thing right for you.

Even if it killed him.

He felt around the back of his armor; they had to still be on him. Of course they were.

Once he’d freed himself of the makeshift cloak over his head, he pointed the two rifles in his hands-- damn reliable, Des and Troy were turning out to be-- and shot down the wave of undead trying to claw their way onto the ship.

_**“For Asgard!”** _

With a battle cry worthy of a Valkyrie, he jumped from the open doors of the ship, shooting into the clump of soldiers and cutting them down with the same fury he imagined that you might have.

You could not have died in vain. He simply would not let it be so.

As the ship began to rise out of reach, he watched the stunned Asgardians grow smaller and smaller the higher it went.

If he could have apologized for letting Hela rise, he would have. 

There were a lot of things he would have apologized for.

All he could do was continue to strike down as many undead soldiers as he could, buying as many seconds as possible before...before….

Hela finally arrived on the bridge, and a pit formed in his stomach upon clicking the triggers to find himself out of bullets.

_Well, at least I won’t have gone quietly,_ he thought, accepting his fate. _I’m coming, Y/N. Maybe this was just the only way._

As the death goddess launched two heavy blades his way, he closed his eyes, accepting his fate….

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh--”

What in the bloody blazing-

“AaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Skurge’s eyes flew wide open at the sight of you slamming Daybreaker down onto the Rainbow Bridge, disintegrating Hela’s dark blades in a flash of white-gold light. You stood firm, eyes narrowed on the death goddess, breathing hard from your exertion. Silence filled the air.

“NINE HELLS, WOMAN!” he shouted at your back, “I THOUGHT YOU WERE BLOODY DEAD!”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” you turned and rolled your eyes at him, “I’m not the one who flung myself off the bloody escape ship for one last hurrah showing off my giant-arse balls!!!”

“That wasn’t the point!”

“WELL SHE’S ABOUT TO MAKE _HERSELF_ THE POINT, SO CAN WE PLEASE DO THIS LATER?!”

“You two make me sick,” Hela snarled as you kicked a discarded ax at Skurge and the both of you poised yourselves for battle.

“Get used to it,” you smirked, and the both of you lunged at her as Thor came up from behind.

“Y/N?” he asked, swinging a sword and trying to match the perfect sync and rhythm that you and Skurge had fallen into. “What the hell is going on?”

“Lots of things,” you said, trying to make conversation through your grunts of effort. “What happened to your hair? Or your hammer? Where’s your bloody eye?”

“Chopped off my a creepy man,” he recounted shortly. “She broke it. And probably sitting on the throne room floor.”

“Gross!”

“Can we talk about this later? My evil sister’s kind of--”

The words had barely left the prince’s lips when Hela tossed all three of you to the side and engaged a fourth warrior, one you didn’t recognize in Valkyrie armor of all things.

“Where in nine hells did you find a Valkyrie?” you whipped your head around at Thor as Skurge helped you stand.

“...Long story. I’ll explain if we don’t die.”

Hela threw the Valkyrie aside though, and you felt your heart sink.

“The bitch can throw a punch!” the Valkyrie called to the four of you from the bridge as she herself stood.

“Why must you all be so stubborn?!” Hela griped. “I’m restoring Asgard to its former glory, whether you want to or not! It’s time we embrace our old power and retake what’s ours!”

“And that’s where you’ve fucked,” you said. “We have to change and forgive. We have to move on. We have to accept our faults and work to grow, or else nothing ever changes. If you continue on this path, someone will come to usurp you just as you came for Odin. And the cycle will continue. We must break the cycle.”

“That’s very cute, child,” Hela glared your down, and your whole soul felt cold. “But foolish, in the end.”

“Don’t be so sure, sister,” Thor smirked.

“Oh, baby brother. You’re as daft as they say.”

“Oh, really?” the thunder god beamed. “Because I’m smart enough to know that I can’t beat you...but he can.”

You had no damn clue what he meant, but in a split second, you felt something hot explode inside you as the entire city of Asgard went up in flames. You dropped to your knees with a pained cry, and Skurge steadied your shoulder.

“Was that the Eternal Flame?” he growled, “I don’t care that you’re the damn prince, I want to know what that was!”

“No,” you rasped, slowly regaining your strength. “No, it’s fine. That’s alright. I’ve got something just as nice as that.”

You gingerly lifted a chain around your neck; to Skurge’s surprise, a glass enclosure contained a small but vibrant flicker of fire. 

“Damn, you clever minx,” he breathed.

“Did you really set the entire city up in flames?!” the Valkyrie whirled on Thor. “What in the hell did you think that was going to do?!”

“I didn’t,” Thor beamed as Surtur himself rose up over the city, drawing an irate Hela’s attention away. “Loki did.”

He was staring at the blaze, eyes wide and proud. You, Skurge, and the Valkyrie merely exchanged looks.

“You know,” you frowned, “I get the idea that I’m supposed to be proud of that, but it’s still Loki and we’ve kind of had our hands full here, so...yeah you’re going to have to fill us in on the ship for me to--”

A mighty roar sounded over all four of your heads, and you clung together in a clump at the sight of a large, green man flying over the entire city to smack Surtur in the face.

“HULK, NO!!!” Thor yelled at the creature.

“Is that one of your Avengers?!” you pointed.

“Yes, dammit, Banner,” Thor grumbled as the apparent Hulk was smacked back down onto the bridge by the four of you. “Hulk, for once in your life, don’t smash!”

“Thunder god boring…” Hulk grumbled, walking back toward the hovering escape ship. You and Skurge turned to gape at Thor, wondering what in nine hells he and the Valkyrie had come across on their journey.

“...He’s taller than I expected,” you said matter-of-factly.

“Let’s just get the hell out of here before the whole city blows,” Valkyrie suggested, and you noticed Thor staring with amusement at the way your hand remained joined with Skurge’s the entire walk back.

-

You remained quiet in your quarters on the ship, alone after Thor explained everything to you.

You didn’t stay to watch Asgard implode. You didn’t think you could take it.

Instead, you thumbed lightly through the ends of your hair, wondering what you would do now and how you could pick up the pieces of your broken people.

“So,” you heard Thor’s smirk behind you and turned to see him leaning on the doorway, “you and Skurge?”

“Shut up,” you laughed quietly to yourself. The thought was nice...you and Skurge. It was a thought you hadn’t let cross your mind in quite a while.

“I can’t imagine what you went through,” Thor stepped further into your room, stormy eyes sincere and sorrowful. “I’m so sorry about your father. He was a good man.”

You wanted to cry a little bit, but you just gave the prince a saddened smile, “Thank you. It will be painful, I think, for a while. But I know no one ever truly goes away. No one’s gone forever.”

“That’s true,” he said. He seemed to understand. You realized why, but did not say. You both had lost enough. “So, what will you do now that everyone knows the mighty Daybreaker is a woman?”

“Hopefully get an awful lot of young girls believing they have some choice in their life,” you beamed. “I think Sif and that Valkyrie of yours would agree.”

“Forgive my interruption,” a sleeker voice appeared in the doorway, and you instinctively tossed a hidden blade at a very indignant Loki, “NINE HELLS, WOMAN, I’M NOT TRYING TO KILL YOU.”

“Yet,” you said. “I’m better off keeping you on your toes than letting you get comfortable.”

“Clever girl,” the god of mischief purred.

“Don’t call my clever girl a clever girl,” Skurge growled behind him. You tilted your head down to hide your smile.

“Uh, Loki, I think they need some privacy,” Thor began to steer his brother from the room, giving Skurge space to enter.

“Privacy? Brother, don’t tell me!”

“LOKI!!!”

You had to laugh a little at the antics of the brothers; so much had changed from when you were children, and yet nothing had changed at all.

When Skurge came up to you, he wasted no space, leaving just enough space that you could feel his tentative breaths on your face.

“You came back for me,” he said, so simply and yet so amazed.

“Of course I did,” you nodded and took one of his large hands. “I love you.”

His murky eyes widened like saucers, “You said love.”

“I know I did.”

“Present tense?”

“Present tense.”

“Not past tense.”

“Never past tense. If it was past tense, I wouldn’t have spent all that time trying to avoid you, wouldn’t I?”

You felt warm inside at the genuine smile that bloomed on his scruffy face.

“We’ll take this one day at a time, hear me, love?” he promised. “Don’t wanna fuck this all up like I usually do.”

“Skurge,” you insisted, “that part of our lives is in the past. It’s time to move on. And I want to move on with you.”

The kiss he gave you at that was different than before, but just as tender. Warm and full of gentle passion. A quiet fire. Something soft. Something new. Something like a brand new chapter.

When you both walked into the makeshift hall of the ship, you walked in with joined hands.

“Y/N Daybreaker, First of Her Name,” Thor proudly announced. “I suppose since all the old council are dead, we could use new ones. Especially a new Council of Defense, until we reach Earth.”

“We’re going to Earth?” Skurge’s eyes widened.

“I know it’ll probably be a little bit of a change,” you attempted to assuage his unease, “but I’m sure-”

You had to laugh as he cheered, “DES AND TROY II, HERE I COME!!!”

“It’ll be a change,” Thor insisted, “but we’re not a place. We’re a people. We’ll get by.”

(Loki seemed unconvinced, out of the corner of your eye, but if he had a complaint, he only voiced it as an eye roll.)

“If that’s the case,” you suggested, “then I believe it is best that I head a new Council of Diplomacy instead. I don’t think the Midgardians would take too kindly to being invaded and then dealing with a Council of Defense.”

“Yeah…” Thor briefly glanced over at Loki before he turned his head back to you, “Yeah. I can see your point.”

“Congratulations, Councilor of Diplomacy,” Skurge squeezed your hand. “I’m excited to move on with you.”

As you looked out over the starry space ahead, for the first time in years, you felt no discomfort and no fear. Each point of light in the sky was a reminder, a promise of new hope and new opportunities.

You couldn’t wait to move on and see what the future held for you, next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daybreaker and Skurge will return in Avengers: Infinity War...
> 
> ;)


End file.
